| Summary: | Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2009. === Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. === Includes bibliographical references (p. 30). === In the realm of systems with Reynolds numbers less than 1, swimming is a difficult task. Viscous forces from the fluid dominate inertial forces. In order to propel itself, a mechanism must be designed to overcome the viscous forces from the fluid and satisfy the non-reciprocal, cyclic motion requirements of the Scallop Theorem. Furthermore, a swimmer must employ one of the three mechanisms stated by Purcell to be capable of swimming at low Reynolds number, a three link swimmer, a corkscrew, or a flexible tail. Three devices utilizing the flexible-tail paradigm of swimming were tested using silicon oil to simulate a Reynolds number of approximately 0.6. Design parameters were uncovered which determine the successfulness of the swimmer and can be used for creating future successful flexible-tail swimmers. === by Sarah Elizabeth Cole. === S.B.
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