Swimming for Speed! By: Joseph O’Hara
Archimede’s Principles Newton’s Laws of Motion The Physics of Swimming Drag of Swimming Archimede’s Principles Newton’s Laws of Motion Olympics Hydrodynamics Next
Drag is the main fault for slowing down a swimmer in the water. “Form...wave...frictional...three types of drags that occur while swimming.” Drag is the main fault for slowing down a swimmer in the water. The three types: Form drag: resistance caused by an object’s shape and profile as it moves through a fluid. Wave drag: resistance caused by turbulence in a fluid. Frictional drag: resistance caused by an object’s surface texture as it moves through a fluid . List
Form Drag Body Type (the smaller, narrower, and tighter you are, the better) Example: Pushing off the wall completely spread apart with arms and legs as far as possible compared to as straight of a line as possible. Back
Wave Drag Why are there lane lines? Faster swimmers splash less (the create fewer waves and therefore less wave drag) The least amount of waves created, the better! Back
Frictional Drag Smallest effect on the swimmer. Newest suits and swim caps used for? Shaving? Back
Archimede’s Principle Archimede’s Principle can explain how buoyancy, displacement, and gravity affect swimming. Gravity pulls the swimmer downwards into the water but because of the buoyancy of the swimmer, he/she will float to the top of the water. Buoyancy is the force which pushed you back to the surface of the water. The water is being displaced from its original spot when a swimmer moves through the water… List
Newton’s Laws of Motion! Newton came up with three laws which explains movement and all three can explain the physics of swimming. Newton’s First Law of Motion Newton’s Second Law of Motion Newton’s Third Law of Motion List
First Law Newton's First Law of Motion: An object in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an outside force. An object at rest stays at rest until acted upon by an outside force. Static force - first force to overcome when swimming (example: pushing off the wall, the drag you feel is the static force) Dynamic Force - force such as drag which keeps you from moving forever like in Newton’s first law. Back
Second Law Newton's Second Law of Motion: change of motion depends on the magnitude of the force and the mass of the object. Newton's Second Law of Motion explains why some people can swim faster than others. For example, if two people have the same mass and pushed off a wall, the person who used the most force pushing off the wall goes farther. This is why the second law deals with the equation: F= ma (F= force, m= mass, a= acceleration). Back
Third Law Newton's Third Law of Motion: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Example: When you pull water during a stroke, you pull the water towards your feet in order to move forward. At the same time, the water is pushing back on you. Opposite reaction is the reason that forward movement occurs. Back
Olympic Swimming Olympic swimmers are really starting to use physics to make them perform better. Regarding the size of the pool, as well as the swim suits the Olympians are wearing. In Beijing, the pool was made for speed! 10 lanes instead of the normal 8, perforated gutters installed on its side walls, and almost 10 feet in depth (3 feet deeper than previous Olympic-sized pools). Swim suits such as the new Speedo LZR and the Blue Seventy. List
Hydrodynamics Definition: The branch of science that deals with the dynamics of fluids, especially incompressible fluids, in motion. In the past few years, swimmers have looked diligently at hydrodynamics in order to improve their times. Swimsuits have been improved to resemble the skin of a shark. The shark is one animal which defies the rule of “smaller surface area is faster.” The newer suits like the LZR and the Fast Skins are made to keep the drag of the swimmer to a minimum, which therefore will make them faster. List
Summary / Objectives Ride on top of the water where air is less dense. Eliminate drag by keeping good body position, minimizing waves, and getting rid of friction. Win! (Meaning every hundredth of a second counts)
Physics is everywhere… especially in swimming! The End Physics is everywhere… especially in swimming!
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