Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026

Swimming Performance Assessment in Fishes
Published on: May 20, 2011
Pros and cons of swimming in a noisy environment
1ISAC-CNR and INFN, Sezione di Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy.
Abstract:
The problem of optimal microscopic swimming in a noisy environment is analyzed. A simplified model in which propulsion is generated by the relative motion of three spheres connected by immaterial links has been considered. We show that an optimized noisy microswimmer requires less power for propulsion (on average) than an optimal noiseless counterpart migrating with identical mean velocity and swimming stroke amplitude. We also show that noise can be used to overcome some of the limitations of the scallop theorem and have a swimmer that is able to propel itself with control over just one degree of freedom.
Related Concept Videos
Social Facilitation
Sound Waves: Interference
Exercise and Cardiac Output
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be...
Physical Assessment of the Respiratory Tract IV: Auscultation
Breath Sounds
Breath sounds are categorized into vesicular, bronchovesicular, and bronchial.
Buoyancy and Stability for Submerged and Floating Bodies
Hydrostatic Pressure Force on a Curved Surface

