Science at work:
Ducks feet – the physics.
What is the optimum stroke angle for a duck’s foot when paddling? Although a duck may already intuitively know the answer, the question has now been clarified for us humans as part of a recent research project undertaken at the prestigious California Institute of Technology (Caltech), in the US.
An excerpt from the article in the
Journal of Experimental Biology:
“Our results indicate that spanwise flow behind the paddling propulsor significantly affects tip vortex development and thrust generation. The distribution of spanwise flow is dependent on the propulsor shape and the Reynolds number.”
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