“Raindrops are shaped like teardrops”

It's a widespread image: a perfect teardrop shape representing a falling raindrop. This enduring misconception likely stems from how water appears to drip from a faucet or a leaf, forming a distinct tear-like shape just before it detaches. This initial formation, driven by surface tension, is often mistakenly extrapolated to the entire descent of a raindrop through the atmosphere, cementing the teardrop image in our collective imagination through art, cartoons, and simplified illustrations.

However, the reality of a raindrop's journey through the air is quite different and far more dynamic. Small raindrops, those less than a millimeter in diameter, are actually nearly spherical due to the dominant force of surface tension pulling their molecules inward uniformly. As drops grow larger, air resistance becomes a significant factor. Instead of maintaining a teardrop form, this upward pressure from the air flattens the bottom of the drop, causing it to resemble a small hamburger bun or even a flattened parachute as it falls, with the bottom becoming increasingly concave.

The scientific evidence clearly shows that the teardrop shape is a fleeting moment in a drop's formation, not its stable form during freefall. The constant interplay between surface tension, which tries to keep the drop spherical, and the air resistance pushing against its underside, dictates the actual shape. This fascinating dance of forces means that the iconic teardrop is a visual shortcut, an artistic convention that, while pretty, doesn't reflect the true physics of a falling raindrop. Understanding this reveals a more complex and interesting natural phenomenon than the simple myth suggests.