Mathematician solves rowing boat "wiggle" problem

&#62; the serious problem of oscillating non-zero transverse moment in racing boats, otherwise known as wiggle.<p>Thank goodness for simplification of terminology.

I rowed in college, we experimented with different riggings (including arrangement 'a' from the article) and found that, indeed, bucket-rigging and others seemed to yield good times. There were other variables though, strength of the current, wind, how intense our hangovers were... so it's hard to attribute it to just the different arrangements. I will say that sitting in an arrangement where the guy in front/behind has his oar on the same side as you leaves very little room for error. If you don't get that oar up and out at the finish you'll hit oars and crab for sure.

There are several considerations that a rowing coach must make when deciding the rig of the boat as well as which rowers should occupy each seat.<p>These considerations may vary for each rower and include:<p>1. arc length (i.e. the distance traveled by the blade of the oar)<p>2. force curve (i.e. the amount of force applied during each part of the time the oar is in the water)<p>3. boat feel (it is a much different sensation rowing in the bow, middle and stern of the boat and different rowers are "better" in different parts of the boat)

I wonder if some of those rigs are more fragile than the others. Perhaps some of them (rig (a) perhaps?) would wiggle more severely if the rowing forces were uneven while others would be fairly robust to differences in force.

"to show that the balance of forces in this rig as the oars are pulled through the water"<p>If the oars are pulled through the water, the boat wouldn't move.