WRESTLE MANIA.

Meet pro wrestling's biggest star--physics!

In 1999, 35 million screaming viewers per week made pro wrestling among the highest-rated sports events on TV. But the muscled heroes and villains aren't the real driving forces behind the show--it's the laws of physics! Check out some wrestling moves from a new ringside view--the scientific one. And get the lowdown from World Championship Wrestling's Diamond Dallas Page on how he wrestles with physics' natural laws.

Force, Gravity, & Energy

When wrestlers twist foes into pretzels, they apply physical moves called forces. Pushes, shoves, and kicks are physical forces. So is gravity (Earth's downward pull on all objects). Say Stone Cold Steve Austin body slams, or picks up and smash-drops, Diamond Dallas Page--as in the picture above. For Page, gravity's force can be crushing. "You can't fake gravity!" he says.

But wrestlers work with gravity. "When I land, I tuck my head and keep my body as fiat as I can," Page says. "My shoulders, back, and butt absorb the impact." Since Page's midsection has a wider surface area man ms head, the impact is spread and shared by many points instead of just one. So Page avoids a skull-cracking landing!

Energy also plays a big role when wrestlers plunge to the mat. When Mark Henry lifts up his foe (see picture, right), the opponent gains potential energy, or stored energy, because of his stationary position. It's the same type of energy as in a rock that's about to be heaved off a cliff. As Henry's foe falls, he loses potential energy and gains kinetic energy, or moving energy. After he hits the mat, that energy becomes one huge groan and a mass of pain!

One of pro wrestling's killer moves is the clothesline, pictured on the left. When The Rock flings his opponent against the ropes, his foe bounces back. As Rock then charges at his nemesis, or enemy, both wrestlers gain momentum--the mass of a moving object multiplied by its velocity, or speed (momentum = mass x velocity). To execute the clothesline, Rock uses forward momentum to stop his rival in his tracks. He thrusts out a stiff arm to collide with his competitor's chest--to flip and send him crashing to the mat. Rock knows that the faster he moves, the more momentum he has--and the more likely his "clothesline" will flip his foe. But to prevent serious floury, Rock and his rival work together to ensure the hit strikes the meatiest part of the chest--not the vulnerable neck.

More than 300 years ago, English physicist Isaac Newton described three laws of physics that apply to all moving objects--even wrestlers.

Wrestlers in the photo at left illustrate Newton's first law, the law of inertia: An object in motion will keep moving unless something stops it. A motionless object will stay at rest unless something moves it. So until the two bruisers move, they're inert objects. Once Mark Henry (standing) drops his competitor, the wrestler's fall speeds up. An increase in speed is called acceleration. Newton's second law states that an accelerating object has force: force = mass (weight of an object) x acceleration. His opponent stops reeling from one force only when another force checks him. The mat should do the trick!

Newton's third law (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) applies every time a wrestler hits the mat. As Henry's opponent slams against the mat, he exerts a force on it. The mat, in turn, exerts an equal force back on the flattened foe. Gravity, however, keeps the wrestler from boomeranging and blowing Henry out of the ring!

Is it REAL or is it FAKE?

"Wrestling is `athletic theater,'" says Diamond Dallas Page. "Our job is to make it look as real as possible. Do I get hurt? All the time." Here's how two wrestlers make you think you're seeing a serious showdown--while still surviving the event:

1. Punch light: Punches and kicks appear brutal, but wrestlers are trained to hit each other lightly. Fists, though they appear solid, aren't closed tightly for a rock-hard punch--they're open and springy instead. Wrestlers also exaggerate responses to make fans think the blows really hit home.

2. Stomp sounds: Hear that body-stomping noise each time a kick or punch lands on a wrestler? The slam of wrestlers' boots on the mat makes moves sound more real. A hidden microphone under the ring also pumps up the volume.

3. Make a plan: Yes, rivals know beforehand exactly who will win each match: the fighters whisper every series of moves to each other as they grapple. That way, no one gets caught off-guard!

Move It!

You don't need to pro-wrestle to practice Newton's third law of motion--for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You just need a partner, two chairs that roll on wheels, and a catchy nickname!

What to do:

1. Sit on rolling chairs, facing each other. Keep your feet off the ground.

2. Place your hands palm to palm. Don't grasp!

3. Count to three and push off from each other.

4. Don't move as the chairs roll across the floor. Why did they roll? In which direction did each chair move?

5. Try again with only one person's push.

Conclusions:

Pushing against your partner and making his or her chair roll has an equal and opposite reaction--your chair rolls back. That's Newton's third law of motion--and his first law of fun!