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Lori Halvorson
University of Missouri
Dr. Zaichun Feng
Abstract
This report shall concern many popular speculations regarding the buoyancy and compression of different technical swimming suits and how each effect reduces the overall resistance of a collegiate female swimmer and thus increases the velocity of a swimmer while also assessing the physiological effects of the technical swimming suits. The velocity increase of each technical swimming suit was analyzed by determining the percent reduction of the cross-sectional area of a swimmer with each suit. Several race times swam in international competitions corresponded with the relative percent velocity increase for the corresponding suit. The buoyancy of each technical swimming suit was then analyzed by determining the volume of air voids in each suit and the density of each suit, in which the Jaked had the highest air void volume and lowest density but the measurements did not correspond to a significant velocity increase. Although recent articles regarding physiological effects of the suits are disputed as a factor said to affect a swimmers' velocity, the articles are shown to be contradictive and the physical effects of the suit were shown to contribute greatly to the change in velocity of a swimmer with the compressive effects of the suits showing the most promising results regarding the velocity of a swimmer.
Lori Halvorson is from Tulsa, Oklahoma where she graduated from Jenks High School. She is currently a senior at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. She has a passion for swimming and engineering. She was the women's team captain for the University of Missouri Swimming and Diving team during her collegiate swimming career and is a member of many engineering societies including the Society of Women Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Mechanical Engineering Honor Society. After graduation in May 2010, she plans to attend graduate school in which she hopes to further pursue her passion for sports research including the sport of swimming. Professionally, she hopes to remain involved in the research surrounding sports and become a part of the exciting advancements in sports technology yet to come.
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