How fast could a mermaid swim?

Authors

  • Katherine Isobel Davies University of Leicester
  • Faeeza LORGAT University of Leicester

Keywords:

Mythology, Biology, Physics, Mechanics, Biomechanics, Fluid dynamics, Drag, Mermaid

Abstract

This paper investigates the potential swimming speed of the popular mythical creature, the mermaid. In order to calculate this speed, the motion of swimming was considered and the assumption that the tail of the mermaid would swim and produce the same amount of power as a bottle-nose dolphin’s tail during swimming. Through the consideration of the forces of thrust, the power generated by one stroke and drag, the speed was calculated at 5.93 ms-1.

References

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Finfunmermaid.com (2018) Mermaid Tail, Swimsuit, Appeal Size Charts | Fin Fun Mermaid. Available at: https://www.finfunmermaid.com/size-charts [Accessed 30th January 2018]

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Fish, F.E. (1993). Power output and propulsive efficiency of swimming bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Experimental Biology. 185, pp 179-193.

Engineeringtoolbox.com (2018a) Drag Coefficient. Available at: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/drag-coefficient-d_627.html [Accessed 30th January 2018]

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Lee, M. (2017). The Speed of Human Swimming. LIVESTRONG.COM. Available at: https://www.livestrong.com/article/456880-the-speed-of-human-swimming/ [Accessed 31st January 2018]

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Published

17.04.2018

How to Cite

Davies, K. I., & LORGAT, F. (2018). How fast could a mermaid swim?. Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics, 7. Retrieved from https://journals.le.ac.uk/index.php/jist/article/view/2683

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Section

Articles