[Physics] Lengthwise or widthwise. Which towel will dry faster

evaporationthermodynamicswater

So I was putting towels on drying rack and I had extra space. Should I hang towels lengthwise to speed up drying?

If we have a standard, rectangular towel. Say like this:
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Which will dry sooner?

Lengthwise:

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Or widthwise:

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I am leaning towards lengthwise, since the water will have more surface to dry away from, but with widthwise maybe having higher vertical difference will cause water to accumulate at the bottom of the towel and dry sooner.

Best Answer

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Hanging it along the diagonal will maximize the surface area, but while the corners will dry faster, the thickest area with two layers will not.
A simple way to speed up the process is to flip the towel over after some time to expose the wet insides. Or using clothespins to avoid the slow drying double layer alltogether