Terminal velocity (THIS IS A TROLL THREAD)

[Sven7]

So by corollary, emo kids have lower terminal velocity than well-adjusted normal people?

[gone-ot]

...nah, they just have dirty faces! That should just wash off with LOTs of scrubbing (wink,wink).

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Regenerit

And as a side note: its nice to see efficiency working superbly in nature with the low drag flow throughout the body of a fish with its beautifully tapered body (like the marlin).

Err... So why aren't all fish the same shape?

[Rokeby]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Err... So why aren't all fish the same shape?

A darn good question...



Predator --> prey would be a starting point.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Err... So why aren't all fish the same shape?

Shapes for all animals have a great deal to do with what they eat.
The slowest of each species are the first to be eaten by the next tier on the food chain.Those which were a little 'faster', better camouflaged,or possess something else advantageous will go on to breed.
Reproductive strategies of existing species have allowed them to emerge or remain in the current environment.Countless species have already gone extinct.
Fish have only been around for a couple million years,and the Sun won't red-dwarf for about 4.5-billion years,so evolution of fish will continue steadily,albeit slowly until then,when Earth perishes just like billion of other planets have done already.
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All fish I've inspected are completely streamlined.You might have to turn them on their side to see it,but it's there.

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Err... So why aren't all fish the same shape?

Because different species of fish occupy different nitches in the environment which can place an emphasis on factors other than most efficient shape. The lowest drag shapes are found on pelagic fish such as marlin, swordfish, tuna, and mackeral which need to travel great distances quickly in the most efficient manner. But in nitches, especially in reefs where there are plenty of hiding places and where pure speed isn't quite so important, other shapes can develop depending on whether the greatest need is for flexibility (eel), armored crush resistance (boxfish, seahorse), or if a distinctive shape (angel fish, moorish idol) is needed for quick species recognition for territorial defense, school formation, or for wowing potential mates.

You could also ask the same question for birds (why aren't all birds the same shape?) and the answer is similar to the one for fish above.

[Sven7]

Or, more pointedly, why aren't all mammals the same shape?

[t vago]

Originally Posted by basjoos

You could also ask the same question for birds (why aren't all birds the same shape?) and the answer is similar to the one for fish above.

[Regenerit]

And wth is making manufacturers take so long to produce something like the Aptera 2e turbodiesel or something with 4 wheels?

[t vago]

Originally Posted by Regenerit

Attachment 10982

Because. (and that's actually a savannah cat - the one in my avatar is particularly aerodynamically streamlined with weird ears. I am thinking of making an animated gif with many different cats that have weird ears... Hm...)