Why Does Toilet Water Splash Back Up?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of water splash back in toilets, exploring the physics behind why water can splash back up after an impact. Participants consider various factors such as elastic collisions, mass, and the dynamics of splash formation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the splash back may relate to the nature of elastic collisions, noting that nothing is perfectly elastic and questioning the mass of the water involved in the splash.
  • Another participant proposes that experimenting with different weights and shapes dropped into water could provide insights into splash height, indicating that smaller amounts of water can be propelled higher than larger amounts.
  • It is mentioned that the shape of the splash is influenced by the shape of both the container and the object impacting the water.
  • A participant raises the importance of the object's trajectory, questioning whether the impact was direct or involved some rotation.
  • A link to a video is shared, presumably to provide further context or demonstration related to the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various hypotheses and observations, but there is no consensus on the exact mechanics or factors contributing to the splash back phenomenon.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the underlying assumptions about elastic collisions or the specific dynamics of water splash formation, leaving these aspects open for further exploration.

wally_moot
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Now although this is silly and quite crude (You have been warned), it is a legitimate physics question. I was sitting on the toilet a few days ago and I got some splash back. I started thinking about elastic collisions and how no matter what, nothing is perfectly elastic (correct?). Why would the water come all the way back up to my... you know what and not just my cheeks. If water doesn't observe the behavior of an elastic collision, it must be a mass issue. Maybe the mass of water that gets splashed back up is less than the amount of the impacting mass?
 
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You can experiment by dropping different weights (and different shapes) into a bowl of water and see which splashes the highest.

In terms of energy, even with losses, a small amount of water can be shoved quite high while a lot of water won't.

The size and shape of the splash tends to depend on the shape of the container, the shape of the object landing in it, and the mass of the object.

How it falls is also important - you were not in a position to tell if your spoor dropped straight or did a bit of a rotation on the way down I suppose?
 
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This might help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XNDM4eAn1U
 
That's great: good find!
 

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