Okay dokey - Viscosity it is then
Posted by: willi_h2o
on Apr-12-12 12:12 PM (EST)
-- Last Updated: Apr-12-12 12:27 PM EST --
Air will never equal water when it comes to
viscosity for a fluid's internal resistance
to flow i.e measure of fluid friction.
A gas has loose molecules and little "friction"
A liquid has many molecules; a lot of "friction"
The dynamic viscosities of liquids are
typically several orders of magnitude higher
than dynamic viscosities of gases.
The improvement possibly gained by manipulating
an edge on a paddle blade is quite small indeed
compared with 175 lbs of person/boat moving
relatively slow in the water (assume under 8mph)
The power output of normal humans just won't
benefit a great deal from a few millimeters of "edge"