Snowboard superstar. (Physical Science: Newton's Law of Motion).Leslee Olson's idea of a good time is to strap herself onto a snowboard and rocket down a snow-caked mountain at speeds over 73 kilometers (45 miles per hour). Whoa! Is she kidding? Not at all. "It feels so natural and it's fun," says the Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. The name Bend was derived from "Farewell Bend," the designation used by early pioneers to refer to the location along the Deschutes River where the town eventually was platted, one of the few fordable points along the , native. Olson's confidence isn't surprising. In January 2000, she nabbed first-place competing at the world's largest extreme sports extreme sports Sports events characterized by high speed or high risk. Such sports include aggressive inline skating, wakeboarding, street luge, skateboarding, and freestyle bicycle events (wherein tricks such as back flips are performed on a bicycle). championship, the Winter X Games X Games Sports medicine The official Olympics of 'extreme sports' sponsored by ESPN, held annually during the summer. See Extreme sports. . Last August, she launched her own snowboard company--Chorus--the first ever to exclusively design snowboards for women. Now she's training for a spot on the U.S. Olympic snowboarding team, to compete in February's 2002 Winter Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. in Salt Lake City, Utah For ships of the United States Navy of the same name, see . Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake, or its initials, S.L.C. . OLSON'S ALLY What makes 23-year-old Olson so good on her board? Experience, for one. She's been snowboarding since she was 9 and competing since age 11. She also has a secret ally on the slopes--Sir Isaac Newton. The great English physicist (1642-1727) may be long gone, but Newton's Laws of Motion Newton's laws of motion: see motion. Newton's laws of motion Relations between the forces acting on a body and the motion of the body, formulated by Isaac Newton. help explain the physics behind Olson's audacious snowboard tricks Snowboard tricks are aerials or maneuvers performed on snowboards for style or competitions. Air tricks
For example, Olson loves to compete on the halfpipe half·pipe or half pipe n. A smooth-surfaced structure shaped like a trough and used for stunts in sports such as in-line skating and snowboarding. , a 3.7 to 4.6 meter (12 to 15 foot)-high U-shaped structure made of hard-packed snow. She pushes off the top of one side of the U, flies down the pipe, and up the other side. Then she lunges into the air and performs her favorite stunt, the Rodeo flip--a 720-degree sideways somersault--before swooping down into the pipe and up the opposite wall again. Helping her maneuver is Newton's First Law of Motion Noun 1. Newton's first law of motion - a body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force first law of motion, Newton's first law (1): An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion continues at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force. Thanks to the law, Olson has soared as high as 2.5 m (8 ft) in the air during a halfpipe competition! But an outside force pulls Olson down fast--the force of gravity, or Earth's downward pull on all objects. How does gravity work? Every object in the universe exerts gravity on every other object. The amount of gravitational grav·i·ta·tion n. 1. Physics a. The natural phenomenon of attraction between physical objects with mass or energy. b. The act or process of moving under the influence of this attraction. 2. force between objects depends on their mass, the amount of matter an object contains. The greater an object's mass, the greater its gravitational pull. Because Earth is so huge, its gravitational pull is strong enough to tug Olson back into the pipe. CARVING A TURN Besides the halfpipe, Olson also loves the boarder-cross event, a three to eight person, 800 m (0.5 mi)-race over a downhill obstacle course littered with 18-m (60-ft) jumps, gated turns, tunnels, water trenches, and moguls. The first racer to cross the finish line--intact--wins. Since speed is critical, Olson must make razor-sharp turns. "The best way to do that is to `carve' your turns," she says. Carving is leaning into a turn so the snowboard glides downhill on one edge, like a knife blade carving the snow. This reduces friction, an opposing force between the board and the ground that slows Olson down (see "Fact or Friction"). Carving illustrates Newton Second Law of Motion (2): An external force on an object causes the object to accelerate, or speed up, in the direction of the force. When Olson leans into a turn, the weight of her body creates an inward force that propels her snowboard toward the direction of the turn. If Olson wants to turn left to swoop around a gate, she leans her body to the left and the snowboard swoops in the same direction. FINISH LINE Whether she spins in the air above the halfpipe or zigzags around gates in a bordercross race, Olson likes to perform on her snowboard. But every snowboarder has to stop--and that's where Newton's Third Law of Motion Noun 1. Newton's third law of motion - action and reaction are equal and opposite law of action and reaction, Newton's third law, third law of motion law of motion, Newton's law, Newton's law of motion - one of three basic laws of classical mechanics roles (3): For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Olson stops quickly through a fast, sharp, perpendicular, or sideways turn. This prevents her from falling over. "If you start to turn gradually, you're going to have trouble maintaining your balance," says Jearl Walker, a physics professor at Cleveland State University Cleveland State University, at Cleveland, Ohio; coeducational; founded 1964, incorporating Fenn College (est. 1923). The Cleveland-Marshall School of law was incorporated in 1969. "You need to suddenly turn the board and grind into the snow." According to Newton's Third Law Noun 1. Newton's third law - action and reaction are equal and opposite law of action and reaction, Newton's third law of motion, third law of motion law of motion, Newton's law, Newton's law of motion - one of three basic laws of classical mechanics , when Olson pushes into the snow, the snow pushes back with equal force. The collision between the snowboard and the snow brings her to an abrupt halt. Here's where the First Law of Motion kicks back in. Remember, an object at rest remains at rest unless acted on by an outside force After a tiring day on the slopes, no outside force can budge Olson--not even her coach. (1) Newton's First Law Noun 1. Newton's first law - a body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force first law of motion, Newton's first law of motion Gravity pulls a snowboarder back to Earth after flying in the air. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (2) Newton's Second Law Noun 1. Newton's second law - the rate of change of momentum is proportional to the imposed force and goes in the direction of the force Newton's second law of motion, second law of motion A snowboard will turn in the same direction as the snowboarder's body leans. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (3) Newton's Third Law A snowboarder turns sideways and digs the board into the snow. The snow pushes back and stops the board. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fact or Friction On her snowboard Leslee Olson works with and against friction. Friction is the invisible force between two surfaces rubbing against each other that slows down motion. If you run down a school hallway, friction between your sneakers sneakers Noun, pl US, Canad, Austral & NZ canvas shoes with rubber soles sneakers npl (US) → zapatos mpl de lona; zapatillas fpl and the floor stops you from sliding like a snowboarder. Likewise, at the end of a run, friction between microscopic bumps on Olson's snowboard and irregularities in the snow help stop her cold. When it comes to downhill racing, friction also slows Olson's speed. To overcome friction, she relies on snowboard design. The base, or bottom, of a snowboard is covered with P-Tex, a high-density polyethylene, or light plastic, that's easy to lubricate lu·bri·cate v. lu·bri·cat·ed, lu·bri·cat·ing, lu·bri·cates v.tr. 1. To apply a lubricant to. 2. To make slippery or smooth. v.intr. To act as a lubricant. with wax. Snowboards are waxed to create a smooth, fast trip down the slopes. The less contact there is between surfaces, the less friction. That's why Olson "craves" her snowboard when whipping turns. She angles the board so only one edge slices through snow, like a knife slicing butter. The biggest source of friction is air. When Olson flies out of a halfpipe for an "air-raising" stunt, air pushes her back and slackens her speed. She crouches and "hugs" her board to reduce the surface area of her upright body pushing against air. The result: slick sailing, plus high points for a smooth stunt. hands on science Race Your Own (Mini) Snowboard What speeds up a snowboard and helps it overcome friction? Design one and find out. YOU NEED 2 pieces of stiff cardboard 22 x 28 cm (8.5 x 11 in.) each * strip of cardboard 2.5 x 5 cm (1 x 2 in.) * tape * books * pencil and paper pencil and paper - An archaic information storage and transmission device that works by depositing smears of graphite on bleached wood pulp. More recent developments in paper-based technology include improved "write-once" update devices which use tiny rolling heads similar to mouse TO DO 1. Tape the two pieces of stiff cardboard together to make a ramp that is 56 cm (22 in.) long. 2. Make two stacks of books, one 30.5 cm (1 ft)-high and the other 15 cm (6 in.)-high. Place the stacks side by side. Prop the cardboard on the books at an angle. 3. The cardboard strip is your "snowboard" Hold the strip at the top of the ramp and then push it down. 4. How can you make your snowboard go faster? How can you reduce friction? How does your snowboard's shape and weight affect its speed? Would bending the board make it move faster? 5. Think about various materials to add to your snowboard to increase its speed (tape, petroleum jelly petroleum jelly n. A colorless-to-amber semisolid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum and used in medicinal ointments. Also called petrolatum. , etc.). 6. Test your improved snowboard. Repeat step 3 three times. DON'T STOP NOW! Compare your snowboard to those made by your classmates Classmates can refer to either:
CONCLUSION What design factors help make a speedy snowboard? Cross-Curricular Connection History: Research the history of the Olympic games. Report on one aspect. For example: women competitors, the Winter Games, obsolete events, politics, etc. [ILLUSTRATUON OMITTED] Did You Know? * Beginners prefer soft, flexible snowboards because they're easier to maneuver--pressure on one side will turn the snowboard. Stiffer snowboards tend to resist that pressure and move in a straight line. That makes them ideal for racing downhill. * Snowboarders generally use longer snowboards in the powdery pow·der·y adj. 1. Composed of or similar to powder. 2. Dusted or covered with or as if with powder. 3. Easily made into powder; friable. Adj. 1. snow of Colorado compared with the harder, more densely packed snow on the East Coast. A longer snowboard spreads weight over a larger area so it sinks less in the soft snow. * Areas buried in snow seem unusually quiet because snow absorbs sound waves. However, as snow becomes more packed it absorbs less sound. National Science Education Standards The National Science Education Standards (NSES) are a set of guidelines for the science education in primary and secondary schools in the United States, as established by the National Research Council in 1996. Grade: 5-8: motions and forces abilities of technological design Grade 9-12: motions and forces * abilities of technological design Resources For more on Leslee Olsen and Chorus Snowboards: www.chorussnowboards.com Visit the official 2002 Winter Olympic Games site: www.saltlake2002.com Directions: Define each of Newton's Laws of Motion. Then use an example besides snowboarding to demonstrate each law. Answer in complete sentences. 1. First Law of Motion: 2. Second Law of Motion: 3. Third Law of Motion: ANSWERS Answers will vary but should include the definition of the following laws. 1. First Law of Motion: An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion continues at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force. 2. Second Law of Motion: An external force on an object causes the object to accelerate in the direction of the force. 3. Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. |
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