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Abstract It's fun to go swimming! To feel the power of your body as you launch yourself into the water. But did you know that swimming isn't just about skill and athleticism? The human body consists of skin, contours, and curves. How the water moves along your body and the clothing you are wearing determines how fast you can go. In this science fair project, you will investigate the effects of a force called drag. You will compare the time it takes to swim 25 meters in a swimsuit versus swimming the same distance in street clothing. So warm up, suit up, and get ready to dive in!Objective To determine the difference in time it takes to swim 25 meters (m) in street clothing, compared to while wearing a swimsuit. Introduction The field of biomimetics is a science based on nature, to improve human life. The word biomimetic is derived from bios, meaning "life," and mimesis, meaning "to imitate." One example of biomimetics that many of us are familiar with is Velcro®. Velcro was developed in 1941 by George de Mestral. After coming home from a trip with his dog, he noticed burrs sticking to him and to his dog's fur. He looked at the burrs under a microscope and noticed that the tips of the burrs were curved. These curved tips caught anything that had tiny loops, including clothing and fur. After a few years of research, de Mestral developed Velcro. Velcro consists of two strips of nylon, one with loops and the other with hooks. A company that has looked to nature to get ideas is Speedo®. Speedo designs and manufactures swimsuits. Speedo looked to the shark to find out what it is about shark skin that makes the shark move so fast. It turns out that shark skin is made up of denticles that force the water into a tubular flow. This separates the shark from the water and reduces drag so that the shark can swim fast. What is drag? Drag is a mechanical force that is generated by the interaction and contact of a solid body with a fluid. The fluid can be a liquid or a gas. Drag is also the resistance to the motion of a solid body through a fluid. Engineers who design cars and airplanes always test their designs to see how drag affects the movement. But what does drag have to do with swimming fast? Human skin and hair interact with water and generate drag that will slow a swimmer down. Speedo has designed suits that reduce drag on the swimmer's body, and repel water. This adds up to faster swim times. In fact, many of the swimmers who broke records at the 2008 summer Olympics wore the Speedo Fastskin LZR Racer suit. In this sports science fair project, you will experiment with drag by swimming with shorts and a T-shirt on, then swimming with a swimsuit on to discover how each affects swim times. Remember to swim as fast as you can. To help improve your swim times, try picturing a shark swimming behind you! Terms, Concepts, and Questions to Start Background Research
Questions
Bibliography
This National Geographic article is a good synopsis on biomimetics.
This article discusses Speedo's Fastskin LZR Racer suit:
Materials and Equipment
Experimental Procedure
Variations
Credits Michelle Maranowski, PhD, Science Buddies
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