Short Course Description
Lecturers: Prof. Roi Holzman and Dr. Gal Ribak
Goal: The course will expose students to the adaptations of animals for locomotion in air, water and on land. The course will focus on the biomechanical principles that enable locomotion in different media and how they differ between animals
Time: 2nd semester, Wednesday, 10:00-12:00. The course includes 12 recorded lectures for home viewing (1.5 hours each) and 4 in-person class meetings. The class meeting will include experiments on which home exercises will be submitted.
Credit: 3 semester points
Grade: Final exam (60%) and four home work assignments (40%) that will be based on exercises in the class.
Schedule and topics:
Week 1 Introduction
Week 2 Mechanics of walking, running and jumping
Week 3 Gait, orientation and legless terrestrial locomotion
Week 4 Introduction to aquatic motion
Week 5 Swimming A
Week 6 Swimming B
Week 7 Low Reynolds swimming and walking on water
Week 8 Energy saving and diving physiology
Week 9 Moving from water to air
Week 10 Falling and gliding
Week 11 Vertebrate flight
Week 12 Insect flight
Full Syllabus
