Shark has an aerodynamic shape???

Question

is this statement true??

anyone can explain it for me....

Answer 1

Small frontal area, smooth surface, long body that widens relatively progressively at the front and narrows progressively at the back.

So there's very little air turbulence created as the air "travels" along the body and very small low pressure area created behind.

Of course sharks don't fly but what smooths airflow smooths waterflow as well, although sea creatures rely on other mechanisms to slip through water as well, their body is not as slippery through air as it would be under water.

Answer 2

Yes, that statement is true, you can barely see its shape like an airplane.

But actually when come to shark it is Hydrodynamics.

http://www.elasmo-research.org/education...

Answer 3

100 million years of evolution (modern shark) what else can you expect?

Rosbif, the benefits of Sears-Haack body comes to be of help in the transonic region, which is something the shark is never going to achieve. The sharks body is more of elliptical tangent, the typical shape found in model rocketry. The reason is that the shark being a predator, also needs directional control, something which is easier for the shark if the center of gravity is forward in the body.

As for the answer, the statement is true. Most sprinting animals in the animal world are built aerodynamic. They cannot afford to waste energy on fighting drag.

For SFM: Any allusion to sharks in F1 would be more of intimidation than reflection of speed, because the shark is not a very fast animal in the marine world. The seemingly ungainly sailfish is the fastest.

---------- ------------- -------------- --------------- ------------- -------------

Edit: No disrespect intended Rosbif, I just pointed out that the shark is not exactly a Sears-Haack body. With a speed of about 50 mph (less than pitlane speed) it doesnt really need to trade maneuverability for high speed benefits of the S-H body. The sprint canoe is an efficient design, but you cannot maneuver it!

Otherwise no argument on the S-H shape, it is indeed the best for pure speed. And in fact, even the shark cross section is a mutation of the S-H profile. A mutation that warrants a different name and thats all I'd said.

BTW, my specialization is Avionics, so I'm just about average in fluid mechanics.

Answer 4

A "Sears-Haack body" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears-Haack... ) is the most aerodynamic shape...a shark is designed along similar lines (see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Greyr... ); sharks also have rough skin over their entire body, which has been found to allow them to pass through the water more efficiently: http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Shark... .

EDIT

I'm not an aeronautical engineer like you Firefox...I just put 2 and 2 together, having noticed that an awful lot of ships have the same shape too. It's true that my knowledge of fluid dynamics is restricted. However, these researchers:

MORGENSTERN, John

ARSLAN, Alan

BARBIERI, Joshua

BACH, James

SUPERSONIC AEROSPACE INTERNATIONAL LLC

directly compare subsonic flight to movement through water, so there must be some comparable points.

EDIT 2

No offence taken! German history is my subject, that's how I know about Haack's research into munition design in the first place.

Answer 5

yes - it has a pointed front that minimizes resistance and a smooth skin that again prevents hinderance whilst moving..

Answer 6

Yeah because as a predator, it has to be fast.

There are many aerodynamical parts in F1 nicknamed shark something, the most known part being the shark engine cover on many F1 cars now.