Some thoughts on Baidarka bows from the eminent anthropologist Prof. Peregrine Inverbon. It is so gratifying that paddlers are taking an interest in the technological innovations of Inuit kayak builders and particularly that of bow development which exhibits such imaginative diversity. The Inuit were highly sensitive people who could detect small variations in force that they detected by testing fluid flow around various body parts. Although not always successfully nor comfortable for the testee. Some parts had no relevance to boats as they were shaped in such a way that they could never be used and others provided misleading results due to scale. Nevertheless, being an open minded people, they learned from their mistakes. Due to the effects of scale, boats built along the shape of body parts did not always perform as well as expected. It could not have taken them long to recognize that friction and wavemaking increased at differing rates and in different proportion to size. Being somewhat nomadic they did not remain in one place long enough to build test tanks. They solved the problem ingeniously by towing wives behind their kayaks and measuring the drag by pulling on the tow line. In this manner, they discovered the importance of narrow beam as skinny wives towed much more easily than fat wives. Fat wives, however complained less about being towed and the noise of thin wives complaining about the cold water hindered the scientist's concentration. This problem turned out to be an asset when an Inuit hydrodynamicist held his wife's head under water to shut her up and serendipitously discovered the bulb bow. None of this would have been possible without a form of higher math and we are indebted to Professor Klohr who observed what appeared to be random arrangements of rocks of a King Island beach that he spotted as a form of Inuit Braille writing. Klohr was able to translate some of what he saw but some passages stymied him. At a conference in Calcutta he showed pictures of the stone Braille to Professor Hoomani who recognized mathematical patterns in the parts that baffled Klohr. His research revealed that they were calculations of wetted surface using Simpson's Rule and resistance calculations using something similar to Holtrop's formula. All, of course, predating Simpson and Holtrop. The calculations reveal that the Inuit believed wave making resistance increased with the fifth power of speed and friction with the third power. This caused them to overestimate their power output. Unfortunately, many mathematicians had excessive faith in their results and, overconfident, challenged polar bears to arm wrestling contests. The polar bears, unable to do math and not knowing they were weaker than the Inuit, invariably won. This would not have been a serious problem except that the winner got to eat the loser. Hoomani believes that this explains why there are so few Inuit mathematicians today. Why, then, did not other Inuit groups develop the bifid bow? Klohr believes that the western Arctic promoted more hydrodynamic research than the central or eastern Arctic because they did not have the same large herds of caribou that made Crotch Dirigibles possible. Paulson, on the other hand, suggests that Haplo group C lacked the genetic mathematical skills of the M217 group thus explaining the lack of hydrodynamic research in the Eastern Arctic. We may never know. The Inuit were practical people and may have just seen no need to research hydrodynamics when they had the Crotch Dirigible and a thriving cocaine importing trade. I suppose we will never know for certain although we may speculate with certainty. Sincerely, Dr. Peregrine Inverbon, Ph.d., DD, LL.d, Ph.g Translated from the original by John Winters *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
It must now be time for the good Dr. Peregrine Inverbon, Ph.D., etc. to present his Vita. Has to be extraordinary. BRC Quoting John Winters <jdwinters_at_eastlink.ca>: > Some thoughts on Baidarka bows from the eminent anthropologist Prof. > Peregrine Inverbon. > > It is so gratifying that paddlers are taking an interest in the > technological innovations of Inuit kayak builders and particularly that > of bow development which exhibits such imaginative diversity. The Inuit > were highly sensitive people who could detect small variations in force > that they detected by testing fluid flow around various body parts. > Although not always successfully nor comfortable for the testee. Some > parts had no relevance to boats as they were shaped in such a way that > they could never be used and others provided misleading results due to > scale. Nevertheless, being an open minded people, they learned from > their mistakes. ......lots more good stuff..... > Why, then, did not other Inuit groups develop the bifid bow? Klohr > believes that the western Arctic promoted more hydrodynamic research > than the central or eastern Arctic because they did not have the same > large herds of caribou that made Crotch Dirigibles possible. Paulson, > on the other hand, suggests that Haplo group C lacked the genetic > mathematical skills of the M217 group thus explaining the lack of > hydrodynamic research in the Eastern Arctic. We may never know. The > Inuit were practical people and may have just seen no need to research > hydrodynamics when they had the Crotch Dirigible and a thriving cocaine > importing trade. > > I suppose we will never know for certain although we may speculate with > certainty. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > Dr. Peregrine Inverbon, Ph.d., DD, LL.d, Ph.g > > > > Translated from the original by John Winters *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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