Cutting-Edge Science

It may be a cliché of domestic conflict, but physicists recently — earnestly — tackled the dynamics of toilet bowl “splash back.” A stream delivered by a standing male, because it travels five times farther than that of a seated male, produces a splash easily reaching seat and floor — even without factoring in the “well-known” Plateau-Rayleigh instability — the inevitable disintegration of a liquid stream “six or seven inches” after its formation. Short of recommending that men sit, researchers — speaking to a November conference — suggest “narrowing the angle” by “standing slightly to one side and aiming downwards at a low angle of impact,” as reported by BBC News.