Re: Hair not a drag... was Re: AAT Theory

J Pekka Makela (jpmakela@cc.Helsinki.FI)
4 Oct 1995 16:02:19 GMT

J. Moore (j#d#.moore@canrem.com) wrote:

> Ss> David L Burkhead (r3dlb1@dax.cc.uakron.edu) wrote:

> Ss> : Again with the streamlined. That's a _claim_, not a "fact."
> Ss> : Furthermore, it's a claim that does _not_ fit the conclusion of a
> Ss> : "wading ape." In fact, a hairy body would have _less_ drag for that
> Ss> : upright wading ape. Go look up turbulent vs laminar flow separation
> Ss> : drag in bluff bodies. (This kind of thing is one of the reasons the
> Ss> : "obvious" is so often wrong.)

> Ss> Just a small note here:
> Ss> Last time I checked ALL olympic swimmers shave their legs and body.
> Ss> Then they put rubber swimming caps on their heads to cover the hair on
> Ss> their heads. It seems to me that if you want to know about moving
> Ss> quickly through the water you should ask an olympic swimmer about it. I
> Ss> don't think you'd find any that suggest remaining unshaven.

> It remains a claim, not a fact.

I don't know if this has been covered yet, but I seem to remember
that most of the mammals living in water (except whales) have
thick, oily fur.

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