Sha’Carri Richardson, the fastest woman in the world, has captivated the athletic world. But now, a physics thought experiment pushes the boundaries of possibility, asking if she could run on water. While the answer seems impossible on Earth, a delightful exploration of fluid dynamics suggests otherwise.
In an article published in Physics World, fluid dynamics expert Nicole Sharp delves into the fascinating world of water-walking creatures, like the basilisk lizard, aptly nicknamed the “Jesus Christ lizard.” These animals, scientists have discovered, achieve this feat by striking the water with incredible force using their feet. The Western grebe, another water-traversing creature, takes up to 20 steps per second, a remarkable feat compared to the average Olympic sprinter’s five steps per second.
However, research conducted by Harvard scientists in the 1990s concluded that a human would need to strike the water at an impossible speed of 30 meters per second to support their weight on Earth. Undeterred, researchers at the University of Milan explored the possibility of human water-running in reduced gravity conditions, a study that garnered the 2013 Ig Nobel Prize, a satirical award honoring research with questionable practical applications.
These studies, while amusing, lead to a fascinating question: Could Sha’Carri Richardson run on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon? With Titan’s lower gravity, Sharp theorized that Richardson would only need to strike the surface of Titan’s ethane lakes at 8.7 meters per second, a speed she has already surpassed during her world championship race.
So, if we’re sending the military-industrial complex into space, perhaps someone out there has the resources to make Richardson the first woman to walk – or rather, slap – on the surface of a liquid body on another celestial body. It’s a tantalizing thought experiment that highlights the boundless possibilities of science and the unwavering spirit of human curiosity.
