Among many swimmers, the phrases “fast pool” and “slow pool” are common. A fast pool is one where swimmers achieve some of their best times while swimming and a slow pool is one where most swimmers add time to their best time.
The first factor of having a fast pool is having the right water depth. If the water is to shallow the waves will bounce off the bottom of the pool, but if the pool is to deep, a swimmer can feel less fast because of motion parallax (a psychology related feeling).
The other factor is temperature. If the water is to hot, swimmers will start to sweat, and then could possibly overheat. If the water is to cold, the swimmers muscles will not be warmed up properly, which could lead to muscle strain. The perfect temperature for pools are 78 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
This relates to engineering because the engineering of the pool can impact the performance on the swimmer. If the pool is to shallow or to deep, a swimmer could add time, or if the heater in the pool doesn’t work properly, their time could also be slow.
For more information on what makes pools fast, look at this link: https://swimswam.com/what-actually-makes-a-pool-fast/
