I can no longer figure out who wrote what, so I'll simply address everything
sort of as one:
> <For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction>
>
> I know I haven't got it just right but the law means that if a fin is
> particularly efficient, you will expend an equivalent amount of energy
> for the efficiency of the fin. Thus, the more efficient, the more energy
> expended, the less efficient, the less energy expended.
You're right, you don't have it just right. You've got it backwards. The
more efficient the fin, the less energy is required to do the same abount of
work.
> So, with an efficient fin you get there sooner and with a less efficient
> fin you get there later, having expended _exactly_ the same amount of
> energy in both instances (always assuming the same conditions in both
circumstances).
You're confusing work with energy or, if you prefer, force, here.
Efficiency is a measure of force versus work. The more efficient, the less
force, or energy, you require to do the same amount of work. If you move
from point A to point B, you've done a specific amount of work. The energy
required to do that work depends on the efficiency of the fin. As everyone
has noted, different fins are more efficient for one diver than for another.
It's a matter of kicking style and speed. Each fin works most efficiently
with a paticular kicking motion and speed. Matching fins to personal
preferences and giving the diver a chance to test variations in kicks is why
we recommend trying different fins for a while before settling on the one
best fin for the individual.
> Seems to me that efficiency (in fins), as such, would be a player in an
> extreme situation such as a serious current that you _must_ work against
> but not necessarily otherwise.
Reasonable conclusion . . . except . . . It's possible for a fin to be
more or less efficient at one speed and kicking force than at another. Most
of us look for a balance between our normal kick and that which we use when
fighting a current or otherwise maximizing thrust.
Lee
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