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Indeed. There are a few hypotheses about it [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shower-curtain_effect

I can definitely imagine this being really hard to work out in an equation, but I'm somewhat surprised that this implies that it has been difficult to come up with experiments that would give data that might help figure this out. Surely we have ways of measuring air vortices and pressure that would clarify a lot of what is happening to the air flow?

Funny coincidence! I thought about this when I showered this morning. The water probably sucks air down the drain with it, causing slightly negative pressure causing the curtain to bellow inwards.

Down the drain? I might buy the water sucking down air, but down the drain?

Isn't the point of traps largely to prevent air from traveling either direction through the drain?

I'd love to be on the grants committee when someone requests funding to set up a shower in their lab.

The thing that makes this more interesting is that if you have a large shower (eg a wheelchair wetroom) then the shower curtain behaves differently depending on where you are inside it. Try walking up and down your bathtub next time you have a shower.

The explanation for it might have consequences for a lot of other models though, no?

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