Science Smarts: Skateboard science
By PATTY ROOKS on June 10, 2023.
The beautiful weather this week has everyone outside participating in some really great summer activities. I recently saw some children riding one-wheeled skateboards. Oh my, I can hardly imagine riding a skateboard with four wheels let alone one! Of course, this made me think perhaps I could – I just need to learn a bit about the science of skateboarding. Let’s investigate further! Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment. Materials • Popsicle sticks • Small weights such as some assorted washers • Rubber bands • Hand • Small grape tomato or cherry Procedure • Attach a couple of weights to the end of the popsicle stick. • Now, test this out to see if it works and you have it adjusted correctly: Place/try to balance the popsicle stick on your finger so it will not fall off. â – ¦ Move it around and make any necessary adjustments for the popsicle stick so it will balance on your finger. You may have to move the popsicle stick on your finger. • Adjust the weight by adding more or moving them so you have it balancing. • How does this work? Try balancing a small cherry or grape tomato on the stick now. • What happens? What is going on? In this experiment you are testing balance. This is necessary should you be skateboarding, riding your bike or even carrying heavy items. You have to learn how to carry or lean your body so you do not fall over! An understanding of you centre of gravity is also essential in this experiment. The centre of gravity is the point of balance where the forces acting on one side equal those acting on the other side. To further make my point, try standing on one leg. What happens? You likely held your arms out so you could balance better. This is because you were adjusting your centre of gravity so you do not fall over. It is amazing how our body knows just how to adjust to keep us upright no matter what we are doing. If I knew that was all it takes, maybe I will take up skateboarding after all! Watch out… Patty Rooks, Senior Scientific Consultant 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. We are located at: #12 826 11 Street S. E., Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 1T7 Phone: 403.527.5365, email: praxis@praxismh.ca. 23-22
