I understood most of this, but I definitely am not as confident on the topics that were introduced later in the page.
Questions:
- I’m having trouble visualizing CLAMs, could we review what they are and how they help?
- The Center of Mass section has me a bit confused. I’m not sure I quite understand how it affects momentum and why.
The CLAM give just a little difference in the gearing (ratio of outboard length/inboard length). By making the inboard length a little longer, it changes the effort level needed to move the oar. This makes it easier to move the boat, and allows you to change the gearing without paying for totally new oars and such.
I think I might have been overcomplicating the Center of Mass in rowing concept a bit. Because the sliding of the seats is in an opposite direction, the boat must move at a faster velocity, in order to maintain the same momentum as when the crew is at the backstop (P is always constant).