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Summer is almost here, which means that it’s almost time for all the fun summertime activities. Plenty of us can’t wait for beach days, pool parties, and backyard barbecues to become the weekend norms again.

I, myself, am partial to a good beach day because I love the evening portion of a beach day. While many people usually pack it in at the end of the day when the sun is going down, I like to stick around for a bonfire by the beach.

Photo: YouTube/SciShow

Making s’mores and chilling around the bonfire while listening to the waves crash on the shore is quite a heavenly way to spend a summer evening.

But if you’ve ever spent time around a bonfire, you know that there is one downside: the smoke. It seems like no matter where in the circle you choose to sit, you can never escape the smoke.

It always manages to get in your face and then the next day you wake up smelling like smoke. But there actually is an explanation for why the smoke from a bonfire seems to follow you around despite where you choose to sit. And no, you can’t blame it on the wind.

Photo: YouTube/SciShow

In fact, if you want to place blame somewhere, blame the principle of physics. We all know that fires are hot. They’re powerful and can create a lot of energy, meaning that they interact with the air molecules around them.

Essentially, as the fire rages, the air directly around the fire becomes less dense, meaning that it rises easier as it is being pushed by the denser air surrounding it.

You may not know it, but your body actually does have an effect on the fire. While a normal fire will blow the smoke upwards as the dense air pushes the less dense air upwards, when you place a person in front of the fire, your body essentially becomes like a wall.

Photo: YouTube/SciShow

You end up blocking the normal airflow, creating this sort of vacuum effect that pulls the smokey air towards you. That’s why no matter where you seem to move around the fire, the smoke always ends up in your face.

Of course, understanding the physics behind it can give you some ideas about how to battle the smoke next time you’re enjoying a bonfire.

Check out the explanation below:

Did you already know this fact? Let us know!

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