# Running Through the Rain

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-through-the-rain/170073>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 21, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-through-the-rain/170073 "2003-04-21T17:20:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-through-the-rain/170073/1 "2003-04-21T17:20:01Z")

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Do you get more wet when you walk through the rain as opposed to running through it?

My common sense says yes, walking would get you more wet.

However, I have a friend (in Multivariable Calculus) that says they did a problem in class that proved otherwise.

While I can see a certain logic to that (you’d run into rain a lot more quickly moving fast), it seems common sense that walking slow will get you wetter. I’m positive there is some variable that her problem was missing.

So… Is it better to walk or run through the rain?

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-through-the-rain/170073/2 "2003-04-21T17:26:35Z")

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[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_395.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_395.html)

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-through-the-rain/170073/3 "2003-04-21T18:19:08Z")

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There’s also a treatment of this in Jearl D. Walker’s **Flying Circus of Physics**. IIRC, his solution for getting the least wet was to lie down on a skateboard and cruise along at the horizontal speed of the rain. Although I don’t intend to use that siolution myself – he leaves puddles out of his calculations.

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**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-through-the-rain/170073/4 "2003-04-21T20:08:20Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Earl Snake-Hips Tucker \*  
> \*\*[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_395.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_395.html) \*\*

Thanks. It seem the Perfect Master has spoken…

(Slight hijack of my own thread. When I started this thread earlier this morning it was a nice day out. Now it’s a DOWNPOUR. Guess I can test it out myself…)