Are You Trapped in a Wake? What Is Prevalence Inflation?

Issue 170, July 25, 2024

Imagine this hypothetical situation. You are sucked into the slipstream of a fast-moving vehicle, controlled within a narrow bandwidth by its velocity.  This may sound improbable, but racecar drivers use this technique to their advantage. It’s called drafting, and the low-pressure wake behind a leading car reduces the aerodynamic resistance on the front of the trailing car, allowing the second car to pull closer. As the second car nears the first, it pushes high-pressure air forward so less fast-moving air hits the lead car’s spoiler. (Wiki) Very risky, but strategic.

In boating, its wake may endanger others. A boat’s wake may rock, swamp, or capsize other boats and passengers may be thrown off balance or overboard, leading to serious injury. (Boat-Ed) Like racecar drivers, some boats ride inside of other boats’ wakes to smooth out the water. Wakes can be hazardous to others on many fronts and like most things in life, require proactive thinking and even a strat…