The humorous paper "Will Humans Swim Faster or Slower in Syrup?" (American Institute of Chemical Engineers Journal [2004]: 2646-2647) investigates the fluid mechanics of swimming. Twenty swimmers each swam a specified distance in a water-filled pool and in a pool in which the water was thickened with food grade guar gum to create a syrup-like consistency. Velocity, in meters per second, was recorded. Values estimated from a graph that appeared in the paper are given. The authors of the paper concluded that swimming in guar syrup does not change swimming speed. Are the given data consistent with this conclusion?
