Which has lower resistance in water, a smooth surface like the hull of a ship, or a textured one like shark skin?
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Anonymous
ANSWERS: 1
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Textured in some cases. It depends on the design. Have you ever read up on why golf balls have "dents" instead of being smooth? Same story... "Of the $550 million to $600 million the Navy spends annually on powering its ships and submarines, at least $50 million stems directly from drag due to marine growth fouling the vessels' hulls" I assume this question came to you because you read one of the recent articles talking about the Navy considering using shark skin like surfaces on their hulls instead of smooth surfaces so that barnacles and other forms of algae and plant life won't grow on them. "Shark skin is made up of tiny rectangular scales topped with even smaller spines or bristles. This makes shark skin rough to the touch. This irregular surface makes it difficult for plant spores to get a good grip and grow into algae or other plants" You might be interested in supercavitation too. http://www.supercavitation.com/Supercavitation_research_and_development.pdf
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