Sailing has been key to the spread of civilization. Nations with strong navy's were able to expand by way of trade, fishing, and warfare. It was therefore important to learn the physics behind ships in order to maximize their use. Advances in sailing technology boomed in the 14th century giving rise to better sail materials, aerodynamic design, and navigational devices, allowing much innovation to be done before the advent of the steam engine. Most of the physical principles of sail boats govern all types of water going vessels of today and so are widely applicable.

Historical Timeline of Sailing

2900 BC- Oldest remnants of a Sail boat (Ancient Egypt)
1200 BC-Greeks have sailing cargo ships.
500 BC Phoenicians build a double mast ship.
Year 400- Earliest remnants of catamarans.
1000- Vikings build sail boats for war (Norse explorer Leif Eriksson makes it to North America by sail)
1492 Italian Christopher Columbus makes it to the Americas
1768-71 Captain James Cook Discovers the Continent of Australia and New Zealand
1920- Leap in aerodynamic design for speed
2006- two of the biggest sailboats that world has ever seen are built (The Eos and Maltese Falcon (click for fun fact))

		The Physics of Sailing Web Project by Ben Renshaw, PHYS-104
	Home History The Sail Boat Buoyancy Center of Gravity Sailing Navigation Anchors Bibliography	http://www.thedailyrecruiter.com/the-daily-recruiter-blog/its-your-life-its-your-choice.html Sailing has been key to the spread of civilization. Nations with strong navy's were able to expand by way of trade, fishing, and warfare. It was therefore important to learn the physics behind ships in order to maximize their use. Advances in sailing technology boomed in the 14th century giving rise to better sail materials, aerodynamic design, and navigational devices, allowing much innovation to be done before the advent of the steam engine. Most of the physical principles of sail boats govern all types of water going vessels of today and so are widely applicable. Historical Timeline of Sailing 2900 BC- Oldest remnants of a Sail boat (Ancient Egypt) 1200 BC-Greeks have sailing cargo ships. 500 BC Phoenicians build a double mast ship. Year 400- Earliest remnants of catamarans. 1000- Vikings build sail boats for war (Norse explorer Leif Eriksson makes it to North America by sail) 1492 Italian Christopher Columbus makes it to the Americas 1768-71 Captain James Cook Discovers the Continent of Australia and New Zealand 1920- Leap in aerodynamic design for speed 2006- two of the biggest sailboats that world has ever seen are built (The Eos and Maltese Falcon (click for fun fact)) NEXT "The Sail Boat"