Praxis: Sports science in action on the hill
By Medicine Hat News on December 22, 2018.
I heard it has been snowing a ton in the mountains. Do you know what that means, especially when the Holiday Break is here? Skiing of course! I’m not a great skier, I will be the first to admit that, but I am truly a good sport and strap on those skis and head downhill. With that being said, I always watch those who whiz by me and do those death defying jumps all in awe and amazement. How do they do it? Let’s investigate more! *Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment. Materials – metre stick – scissors – pencil – large piece of thin cardboard or cardstock/poster paper – marble – six or eight large books – table – masking tape Procedure 1. Measure a piece of cardboard about 30 cm x 60 cm. Carefully using the scissors, cut it out. 2. Take two or three books and make one pile on the edge of the table that is about 15 centimetres high. Place another pile of books twice as high, also on the edge of the table and right beside (flush) with the other pile of books. 3. Place the cardboard flush with the tall pile of books, and leaning down onto the second pile of books. You are making a ramp. Secure it in place with the masking tape. 4. Place the marble at the top of the ramp and release it. 5. Observe. 6. What happens? 7. Change the shape of the ramp now. 8. Make two piles of books even heights. 9. Place the cardboard in between the two piles making a ramp. 10. Secure in place with the masking tape if it will not stay in place on its own. 11. Hold the marble at the top of one side of the ramp and release. 12. Observe. 13. What happens? What is going on? With the first ramp, you are simulating the ski jump hill. The marble should have rolled down the ramp and launched off of the end, landing on the floor. The second ramp simulates a half pipe at the hill, the ones often used by snowboarders. In both of these demonstrations, the marble has gravitational potential energy to start out. When it is released, this potential energy is turned into kinetic energy or the energy of motion. As the marble is pulled by gravity, it will accelerate down the ramp and you should have been able to observe that despite the shape of the ramp, the marble had the most speed at the bottom of each ramp or if you were on the ski hill, at the bottom of the ski hill. I can personally attest to this, I am going way too fast by the time I get to the bottom of the ski hill; where are the brakes on those things?! Happy holidays to all of my loyal readers! I hope you have a wonderful season with family and friends. Patty Rooks is senior scientific consultant at PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community.” Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. 30-29
