The Effect of Nylon, Polyester, and the Brand of Goggles on the Amount of Drag the Swimmer Experiences, the Elasticity of the Suit, and the Water Repellency of the Suit
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Consumer Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Swimming is a competitive sport that requires the swimmer to maximize hydrodynamics in order to perform well. To help with this large detail in swimming, racing suits and goggles are designed with different properties in mind. The properties that will be tested are elasticity, drag resistance, and absorptivity of different materials used for suits as well as the drag resistance of a pair of goggles (Vanquisher 2.0 Speedo, Arena Cobra, and MP Michael Phelps Xceed) based off its shape and design. This is to identify which materials (polyester fabric or nylon fabric) perform best in these areas in order to help further the research behind competition suit development. These three aspects of suits and the design of goggles have a large impact on how the swimmer performs. It is hypothesized that the Arena Cobra goggles will show the least amount of drag, polyester fabric will produce the least amount of drag, polyester will be the most elastic, and polyester will be the most hydrophobic. Drag resistance will be tested by timing how long it takes for an object to sink with the material or goggle around the object. Elasticity will be tested using a weight and measuring the distance the fabric stretches. Finally, absorption will be tested by massing the fabrics before and after being submerged in water.
Recommended Citation
Ho, Ethan, "The Effect of Nylon, Polyester, and the Brand of Goggles on the Amount of Drag the Swimmer Experiences, the Elasticity of the Suit, and the Water Repellency of the Suit" (2020). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 172.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2020/all/172
Location
Furman Hall 110
Start Date
3-28-2020 10:15 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Effect of Nylon, Polyester, and the Brand of Goggles on the Amount of Drag the Swimmer Experiences, the Elasticity of the Suit, and the Water Repellency of the Suit
Furman Hall 110
Swimming is a competitive sport that requires the swimmer to maximize hydrodynamics in order to perform well. To help with this large detail in swimming, racing suits and goggles are designed with different properties in mind. The properties that will be tested are elasticity, drag resistance, and absorptivity of different materials used for suits as well as the drag resistance of a pair of goggles (Vanquisher 2.0 Speedo, Arena Cobra, and MP Michael Phelps Xceed) based off its shape and design. This is to identify which materials (polyester fabric or nylon fabric) perform best in these areas in order to help further the research behind competition suit development. These three aspects of suits and the design of goggles have a large impact on how the swimmer performs. It is hypothesized that the Arena Cobra goggles will show the least amount of drag, polyester fabric will produce the least amount of drag, polyester will be the most elastic, and polyester will be the most hydrophobic. Drag resistance will be tested by timing how long it takes for an object to sink with the material or goggle around the object. Elasticity will be tested using a weight and measuring the distance the fabric stretches. Finally, absorption will be tested by massing the fabrics before and after being submerged in water.
