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Materials Science Science Fair Project

Swimsuit Fabric and Water Drag

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Swimsuit Fabric and Water Drag | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does the fabric of a swimsuit change how fast an object sinks? You wrap a sand-filled container in three different swimsuit materials: Speedo Fastskin, Aquapel Hydrasuit, and plain polyester. Then you drop each one into a 1.5-meter-deep pool and time how long it takes to reach the bottom. Each drop is repeated three times per fabric. The differences in sink time show how much drag each material creates in water.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit should have the least amount of drag and produce the fastest swim speed.

Method & Materials

You will survey a swimming pool, fill an airtight container with sand, wrap it in different swimsuits, and measure the time it takes for the container to reach the bottom of the pool.
You will need a swimming pool, a Speedo Fastskin swimsuit, an Aquapel Hydrasuit swimsuit, a normal polyester swimsuit, 30 kg of sand, an airtight container, a measuring tape, a stopwatch, masking tape, and a qualified swimmer as an assistant.

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Results

The experiment showed that the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit recorded the fastest time for the container to reach the bottom of the pool and the normal polyester swimsuit took the longest time. This proves that the hypothesis was correct.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how modern swimsuits can help swimmers break records. It also demonstrates how small changes in drag can make a big difference in swim times.

Also Consider

Variations of this experiment could include testing different weights of containers or repeating the experiment in seawater.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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