Physics education research, electronic materials, and the musings of Christopher Moore, Ph.D.

Hi ,

I’m student at a french university, I have to present a project about swimsuit and I must carry out experiments. I’ve decided to work on the buoyancy of swimsuits, the flow around it and drag. To measure drag, I think I’ll drop a heavy ball wrapped in swimsuit material in the water and take measures. Then I’ll do the same with just the ball and compare the results.

But I have a problem concerning the flow. I’ve read from a swimsuit manufacturer website that swimsuits help create laminar flow. And that’s what I don’t understand: Why ? And how can I prove it in an experiment ? I know it’s all about fluid mechanics but I haven’t studied that yet.

Thank you so much for your help ^^