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The physics behind snowboarding
By: Olivia Jennings
Snowboarding is one of the most exciting and extreme sports in the world. Many of the tricks seen on television seem to defy gravity, and in some cases seem downright impossible. In reality, every twist, turn, and flip must obey the fundamental laws of physics.
For example if it weren't for Gravity it would be impossible to land an aerial stunt!
Carving also plays a key role in snowboarding as it helps you keep control of your board.
Carving is so important in snowboarding because it allows the rider to turn at very high speeds while traveling down the mountain, and also allows a rider to stop rapidly on short notice. Carving is very physics based. In order for the rider to turn going down a slope, there has to be a shift in weight, and ultimately a change in the center of gravity of the rider.
The next of the major physics concepts in snowboarding is friction.
Friction allows you not only to stop at the bottom of the hill but also to carve and keep a constant velocity while descending.
Speaking of velocity, using the time that it takes you to descend the mountain and the height of the mountain you can find your average speed with the slope of a distance / time graph!
One of the most exciting aspects of snowboarding is when a rider flies off a ramp and soars through the air, completing tricks before he lands on the ground. Now although snowboarders may make stunts such as 720 degree spins look easy, they don’t just magically turn in the air… physics helps explain how this action is performed.
The Buttered Pretzel :)
This is done by counter rotating your upper body to your lower body.
Setup by winding your body in the opposite direction that you wish to turn.
With your body wound up pop off the snow and snap your arms back to the direction of the setup to make your board snap in the opposite direction.
Now lets get into the real math :)
Can anyone recognize the function that this sequence resembles ?
A parabola !
The Sinusoidal function!
Angles <3
Know matter if your a professional snowboarder or just an amateur the angles of your board are just as important!
Keeping your body positioned at the right angle is key to avoiding a major wipeout !
Brett and I Pakenham 2011
Hope you enjoyed my IA :) See you on the slopes!