Subject: Re: [baidarka] baidarka speeds
From: Michael Daly (mikedaly@magma.ca)
Date: Mon Oct 04 2004 - 17:49:52 EDT
On 4 Oct 2004 at 14:47, Tom Yost wrote:
> Wow, you really put me in my place !
Relax.
> I know, I'll go paddling with the new GP I just completed
> this AM, though I'm sure it won't be any good since I don't have any
> books on fluid dynamics. Then again, I don't believe the Aleut and
> Inuit did either.
There's a big difference between making a paddle and knowing how it
works. Lots of people make things without having the slightest idea
of the theories that explain behavior. Woodworkers make furniture
that stays together without solid knowledge of structural mechanics.
There's an artist in British Columbia that has designed some of the
fastest bicycles in the world (for the Human Powered vehicle
competitions) without any knowledge of aerodynamics - he just builds
the the fairings to look good.
You don't need intimate knowledge of physics to make things. Trial
and error works. James is not working in the realm of trial and
error when he emphatically tells people things like "paddles work
almost exclusively in drag" (paraphrased). Peter, John Winters and
others have a solid background in hydrodynamic theory and don't make
such claims. The _fact_ is that both drag and lift play a role in
the behavior of paddles and exactly what role is played with
different paddle types and paddling styles is still being
investigated. JW is quick to point out that dynamic, non-steady state
behavior can't be ignored. These guys are leading; James,
unfortunately, is misleading.
Mike
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