Swimming is a sport that involves moving through a liquid medium, most commonly water. There are many swimming styles, which include front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
Swimming is a sport that requires not only strong physical strength but also mental strength. This is because swimmers must constantly monitor their breathing pattern, timing, and intensity as they move through the water.
Pro swimmers have been known to spend a significant amount of time in the pool just practicing their swimming technique. This is because they know that the finer points of their technique are what make them faster in the end.
The best way to improve your swimming speed is to learn how to swim faster in your specific style. This article will discuss some ways to help you do this.
Add the two vectors together
Once you have determined your own swimming velocity, you can calculate the resultant velocity by adding your swimming speed to the current speed. The resultant velocity is the speed at which you will move through the water.
You can do this by drawing a line from one end of a pool to the other, then drawing a second line perpendicular to the first at your swimming length, and then calculating the length of the two lines combined.
Then, draw a third line parallel to the pool bottom and calculate how long this line is. If you swim in a lane marked out with lane lines, then you can also use one of these lines as the third line (the bottom one) and calculate how long it is.
By doing all of these calculations, you will find that your resultant velocity is not exactly your swimming speed plus the current speed. There is some rounding involved.
Convert the result to an angle and a distance
So, how do we use this formula in real life? First, you have to be able to estimate your swimming velocity in meters per second. You can do this by timing yourself on a known distance and calculating your speed using the time and distance (with a calculator).
Second, you have to be able to estimate the current velocity in meters per second. This is not as easy as estimating your swimming velocity or running velocity!
You can look at ocean currents maps online or ask someone who knows how to swim well to estimate the current.
Third, you have to be able to calculate your resultant velocity in meters per second. This is the hardest part, so we will go into more detail about it.
To calculate your resultant velocity in m/s, first convert seconds to hours using the ratio of one minute per hour (60 seconds / 1 hour = 60 “seconds per hour”) then divide one hour by your estimated swimming speed in meters per second.
Find the perpendicular distance from your location to the current
Once you have your swimming velocity and the current velocity, you can find your resultant velocity vector. This is the speed you will be traveling in the same direction as your swimming velocity and the current velocity.
To do this, first find the perpendicular distance from your location to the current. You can do this with a nautical compass, a boat GPS, or by knowing what direction the current is going in and how far away from shore you are.
Then, add these two vectors together to get your resultant velocity vector. The length of this new vector will be the distance you travel in the same direction as both factors combined.
For example, if you are swimming at 2 meters per second toward north and there is a 2-meter per second east current, then your resultant velocity is 2 meters per second east.
Divide the perpendicular distance by the current length to find the cosine value
Another important concept to understand is your resultant velocity, or the speed at which you move in a given direction.
You can think of this as your swimming speed minus the effect of the current. If you are swimming at a certain speed, and there is a current that pushes you in a different direction, your resultant velocity is your true speed compared to just standing still.
To determine your resultant velocity, you have to first calculate the cosine value of the angle between your swimming direction and the current direction. Then, you have to add these two velocities together. The second part is what some people get confused.
You have to make sure to divide the perpendicular distance by the current length to get an accurate cosine value. Otherwise, you will end up with a higher number than what actually is.
Multiply your swimming speed by the cosine value to get your resultant velocity vector
So, let’s go back to our example of swimming at a speed of one meter per second into a current of one meter per second.
If you swim at a speed of one meter per second, your resultant velocity vector will be equal to the length of the vector that represents your swimming speed (one meter per second) multiplied by the cosine value of 90 degrees (1/cos(90) = 1).
This results in a resultant velocity vector of one meter per second in the opposite direction.
So, even though you are trying to swim forward, you are actually going backward at 1 meter per second! Be aware of this when trying to reach a destination or get out of the current. You need to take this into consideration when calculating your endurance and how long you can stay in the water.
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