Thread: Why is a wet smimming suit harder to remove than a dry one?

Why is a wet smimming suit harder to remove than a dry one? It clings to the skin while when dry its slides more easily. (you see a sign saying a floor is slippery when wet but the swimsuit of clothes appears to be the exact opposite)

I would imagine because of the cohesion force between water molecules, when it fills the air gaps between your swimming trunks and your skin it creates a continuous suction, i.e. trying to pull it straight off from a middle section means that you are trying to pull them apart with nothing to fill the gap you are trying to create, because of the air-tight seal the water makes.

Take two flat pieces of glass, put some water in between them and put them together. Separating them will be a much more difficult task now than it would if they were dry.

Removing your trunks when it is dry presents no such difficulties.

That's what makes the most sense to me at least.

With the glass, you can also see why the floor is slippery. It may be hard to pull the glass apart, but the two pieces will still slide over one another easily. Skin and cloth are much rougher than glass though, so you get more pulling and less sliding.

Thank you! :-D