All images courtesy splashlab.orgMen's ability to urinate while standing, in spite of its advantages, has one messy flaw: splash-back. That's the splatter that bounces out of the bowl onto the seat, floor, pants, shoes … Enter Tadd Truscott and Randy Hurd, fluid dynamicists at Brigham Young University's Splash Lab. For a study of “urinal dynamics,” they built a specialized hose that simulated a guy taking a leak, then used high-speed photography to film it in action. By varying the distance traveled and impact angle, the duo pinpointed a spritz-free way to pee. They presented their findings at a recent physics conference, and word spread from there. “One man called to thank us for saving his marriage,” Truscott says. So for cleaner bathrooms, drier pants, and happier housemates, heed this advice.
Eric Chase Anderson
