Fastest Man Alive … Underwater
Abstract
If based purely on modern records, Jamaican Sprinter Usain Bolt is the fastest man to have ever lived. In Berlins 2009 World Championships, he recorded a time of 9.58 s over 100 m with a negligible tail wind of 0.9 ms-1, giving him an average velocity of 10.44 ms-1. However while this feat was performed on land, he would require more power to accomplish such a speed under water. This paper models the amount of extra power required to run at this same velocity, at a depth of 500 m in the Atlantic Ocean. The additional power required to overcome drag forces from the water was calculated as 728 horsepower.
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