Yesterday morning, I was watching the ESPN In The Classroom program about drag. Amanda Beard was the athelete guest host. It didn't mention anything about lift. It talked about the effects that the new suits are having on reducing drag. I am very confused, partially because that is my life, about reducing drag while swimming. It seems to me that if you reduce drag too much, you're going to reduce lift also.
Lift and drag are opposite forces that form an "L". Which of the three forms of drag are reduced by the new suits, and which of the three do you want to remain to promote forward movement? The product of lift and drag is the foward movement from the center of the "L". That force is what moves you forward. Or so I thought.
The program did talk about high and low pressures. I understand that in front of you there is a high pressure and a low pressure behind. that nature prefers low pressure and that there is a struggle to move through the high pressure. The program also mentioned near the end about hydroplanning. If I understand correctly, that's how Johnny-Tarzan swam.
Can anyone explain this to me in terms that I can understand. Please keep in mind that I was an anthropology major at a very liberal Liberal Arts college.
The forces are only equal if we are not accelerating. This is what we call "static equilibrium." In swimming things are very dynamic. During the propulsive part of the stroke we ARE accelerating, then there is a portion of the stroke cycle where we are decelerating due to drag.
Talking about how drag is actually important for propulsion just complicates this particular discussion. Good streamlining, shaving the body, or high tech suits all work to reduce drag and that's all we're concerned with.
Which part of this do you think is contrary to physics?
The forces are only equal if we are not accelerating. This is what we call "static equilibrium." In swimming things are very dynamic. During the propulsive part of the stroke we ARE accelerating, then there is a portion of the stroke cycle where we are decelerating due to drag.
Talking about how drag is actually important for propulsion just complicates this particular discussion. Good streamlining, shaving the body, or high tech suits all work to reduce drag and that's all we're concerned with.
Which part of this do you think is contrary to physics?
