Sneezing rate - 4 to 5 m / s

Virologist Canada debunked another mif



Previously, researchers believed that the speed of the air by sneezing up to 100 m / s, but this figure is clearly exaggerated. Researcher William Wells found the size of microscopic water droplets produced by sneezing and calculated the rate at which air must pass through the surface of the liquid to form such particles.



Result Wells computing became popular, but no one has tested it in the laboratory. "I think it's time to debunk this myth," - said Julian Tang, a virologist from the Laboratory of Public Health in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

In the experiment, Tang and his colleagues with the help of volunteers from the pepper provoke an attack of sneezing while in front of them was a concave mirror, which was sent to the beam of light emitted by the LED. Warm air from the mouth and changed the angle of refraction of the beam of his reflection, and scientists measure the amplitude variation of fixed effect sneezing.

The results, as expected, somewhat different from the calculations Wells - air velocity up to 4, 5 m / s, ie, it is comparable to the speed of exhaled air by coughing, as explained Tang: "This is because the sneezing begins in the upper respiratory tract ».

However, it is worth mentioning that Julian spent his studies in Singapore and in other countries, the average power of a sneeze can be higher or lower: "In my research involved only the subtle Asian students, and if I had experimented, for example, in North America, the rate of air movement probably would be higher, "- recognizes the scientist.

via factroom.ru