Snowboard surfer.This pro snowboarder uses more than talent to surf the slopes. Here's how 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 her master her sport. Leslee Olson's idea of a good time is to strap herself onto a snowboard and surf down a snow-covered mountain at speeds over 65 kilometers (40 miles per hour). Whoa! Is she kidding? Not at all. "It feels so natural and it's so much fun," says the 19-year-old from 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 . Olson's confidence isn't surprising. She's the world's No. 2 ranked female snowboarder, sponsored by Burton Snowboards Burton Snowboards is the world's leading manufacturer[1] of snowboards with an estimated 30% to 35% marketshare.[2] Founded by Jake Burton Carpenter in 1977, the company specializes in a broad product line aimed at snowboarders: hard goods, outerwear, . And she's training to compete in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan--where snowboarding will debut as an Olympic sport. OLSON'S SECRET ALLY What makes Olson so good on her board? Experience for one. She's been snowboarding since she was 9 and competing since 11. She also has a hidden ally on the slopes--Isaac Newton. Not literally, since the great English physicist (1643-1727) is long gone. But Newton's Laws of Motion help explain the science behind Olson's outrageous snowboard tricks. For example, Olson loves to compete on the half-pipe, a 12-15-foot-high U-shaped structure made of hard-packed snow. She pushes off the top of one side of the U and flies down the pipe and up the other side. Then she lunges into the air and performs flips and turns before coming back down--and up the first side 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 (also called the law of inertia law of inertia See under Newton's laws of motion. ): An object at rest tends to remain at rest, and an object in motion tends to continue moving at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force. Using the law, Olson has soared as high as 2.5 meters (8 feet) in the air during a 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. competition! Unfortunately, an outside force pulls Olson down fast--the force of gravity. Gravity is Earth's invisible downward pull on all objects--including snowboarders. 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 down before she can jump even higher. CARVING A TURN Besides the halfpipe, Olson also competes in slalom races. She zigzags around gates speeding down a race course. Since speed is critical, it's vital that Olson turns her board as quickly as possible. "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 sidebar). Carving illustrates Newton's Second Law of Motion Noun 1. Newton's second law of motion - the rate of change of momentum is proportional to the imposed force and goes in the direction of the force Newton's second law, second law of motion : An external force on an object causes the object to accelerate in the direction of the force. When Olson leans into a turn, the weight of her body creates a force that causes her snowboard to move faster in the direction of the turn. So 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. THE FINISH LINE Whether she spins in the air above the halfpipe or zooms around gates in a slalom race, Olson loves 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 rules: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Olson stops quickly through a quick and 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. RELATED ARTICLE: 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. 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 snowboards is covered with P-Tex, a high-density polyethylene or light plastic that is 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 "carves" her snowboard when whipping turns. She angles the board so only one edge slices through snow, like a knife slicing butter. The most common source of friction is air. When Olson flies out of a halfpipe for an "air-raising" stunt, air pushes her back and slows 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. RELATED ARTICLE: handson science Race Your Own (Mint) Snowboard * 2 pieces of stiff cardboard (8 1/2 in. by 11 in. each) strip of cardboard (1 in. by 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 WHAT TO DO 1. Tape the two pieces of stiff cardboard together to make a ramp that is 22 inches long. 2. Make two stacks of books, one I foot high and the other 6 inches 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 fast snowboard? |
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