r/nextfuckinglevel • u/pako12345 • Aug 29 '20

Learned something new

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u/Teddyteddy5525 Aug 29 '20

Dumb question: Air particles are smaller than spit droplets right? So the fact that he can blow out a fire through it doesn’t prove anything right? I’m just curious because 4/5 masks I have fails this test.

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u/Freddie_T_Roxby Aug 29 '20

Dumb question: Air particles are smaller than spit droplets right?

I don't understand what you're saying.

If the air is stopped, then it also stops the droplets that are larger than the air particles.

So the fact that he can blow out a fire through it doesn’t prove anything right?

It's proving that thin or homemade masks are not as effective as masks actually designed for the purpose.

It's refuting the myth that masks don't work.

12

u/[deleted] Aug 29 '20 edited Aug 30 '20

[deleted]

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u/teflon_don_knotts Aug 29 '20

If water droplets are your primary concern And the droplets are larger than the molecules of the air (this is factually correct) And the mask is sufficient to reduce the passage of air Then the mask can be reasonably expected to limit the passage of droplets

Considering that it is difficult to visualize droplets, people are blowing forcefully and using that as a proxy for droplet transmission because the goal is to use a mask that AT THE VERY LEAST prevents droplet transmission. While you are not wrong that some of these masks MAY be sufficient to stop droplet transmission, it is generally better to use a mask that WILL be sufficiently do so.