Physics of Swimming: Conditions that Affect the Passive Drag on a Swimmer in Streamline Position

The purpose of this experiment is to explore the variables that affect the efficiency of a swimmer in the streamline position. There are various factors that affect the drag of a swimmer such as: the type of suit, wearing a cap or not, and the depth of the push off. The hydrophobicity of a fast suit and a regular suit was measured to show which one will be the most effective in the water. The contact angle of the fast suit was 20◦ less than that of the regular suit meaning it is more hydrophobic and will produce better times in competition. The effects of suit and cap were tested by having the swimmer push off of the wall wearing two different types of suits and wearing a dome cap versus not wearing a cap at all. The depth was tested by having the swimmer push off deeper than one normally would to see the effects of pressure drag. The results showed a 44% decrease in drag while wearing a fast suit and cap compared to wearing a regular suit without, and the push off at a deeper depth yielded a 49% increase in drag compared to the original push off depth.