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the physics of skiing and the slope
the physics of skiing and the slope
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The Physics of Skiing
I have been skiing for about five years and I find it to be one of the most fun and challenging sports there is. A lot of the reason it is so challenging is because of the laws of physics such as gravity and friction. In this essay I will discuss how physics relates to skiing and how this physics makes skiing so fun and challenging. I will also discuss how things like wax and the shape and width of your skis can affect these laws of physics and enhance your skiing.
There are really only two main forces acting on a skier, they are gravity and air resistance. The first and most important thing relating to the physics of skiing is the law of gravity. Gravity is the most familiar force in our everyday lives it is the force that keeps us on the ground it is also the force that makes things fall. We have all heard the saying, “what goes up must come down.” This saying is relating to gravity.
Near the earths surface the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s^2. When you ski you are taken up to the top of a mountain by a chair lift once you reach the top of the mountain gravity wants to pull you back down the mountain. These forces of gravity and air resistance are what make skiing happen. The air resistance of a skier has a huge effect on how fast a skier is going to go. Air resistance is major factor in ski racing. A skier may reduce his or her air resistance by skiing in a tucked position. This reduces the amount of area that the wind has to hit, thus creating less drag and causing the skier to go a lot faster. Some world class skiers even have helmets that come to a point a few inches behind their head like an airplane wing to further reduce their drag.
The reason that gravity is able to pull ...
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...I would ski everyday if I could. I am so glad that there are such things as gravity, friction, air resistance, and kinetic and potential energy because without some of these skiing would not even be possible and without the others skiing would be really boring. If there were no gravity or kinetic and
potential energy skiing could not exist. If there were no friction you would not be able to stop, and if there were too much friction you would not be able to move. And last but certainly not least if there were no air resistance there would be no ski racing. If nobody had any air resistance and they all just went straight down the hill they would all go about the same speed. There would be no way of going into a tighter tuck to go faster that another person. You may have never thought that if there were no such thing as physics there would be no skiing but it is true.
Many people believe that the Boston Tea Party arose just because of the Tea Act that came into play in 1773, but in-fact, this major statement arose from two issues surrounding the British Empire in 1765. The first of the issues was that the British East India Company was at risk of going under and the Parliament was finding ways to bring it back. The second issue was that there was a continuing dispute about the extent of the Parliament’s authority. Many colonists believe that the Parliament went overboard with their power and the people were concerned about the future. Attempting to resolve these two major issues, the North Ministry only worsened the problem and produced a showdown that would eventually result in revolution.
MacArthur, though in many ways was a failed general in that he lost many troops and strategic strong holds, was still a very popular “hero” from WW II. Although it depends on who you talk to. My great-grand father was U.S.S. Colorado and everyone in the Pacific during the was thought MacArthur was a horrible leader, and commander. MacArthur tended to make his own choices on U.S. foreign policy. MacArthur wanted to take troops all the way up to the Yule River on the border of Korea and China. Truman hated MacArthur for this, absolutely hated him. Truman felt that MacArthur’s daring had unduly escalated the war. China was now involved, and Truman feared Russia was to follow. Even though at that time Russia was considered a friend, Truman knew it was only one major conflict away from another world war. MacArthur wanted to bring in Chinese nationalist from Thailand into the war and attack Mainland China. MacArthur even went as far as to fly to Thailand and meet with nationalist leaders to discuss doing so. MacArthur even suggested using up to 20 atomic bombs on strategic Chinese locations. He did not want his soldiers to die for a stalemate, he wanted total victory.
Early identification is key in the treatment of PPD. Many families may feel ashamed or embarrassed by their feelings and want to conceal them. This is dangerous because PPD can involve thoughts of harm or neglect to the baby. These thoughts can be prevented with early detection from warning signs. Mothers that experience PPD are often at a higher risk for suicide due to negative thoughts and feelings that are untreated. PPD has been treated with cognitive therapies, anti-depressants, and psychotherapy, but a large aspect of aid when bringing home a newborn while experiencing PPD is support. Education before the birth of th...
First, ski wax can help in a variety of ways while a person is skiing. “Wax is applied to base of skis to further reduce friction and make skis slide more easily.” ("WHY SKIS SLIDE”). Wax is also used to prevent the ski bases from drying out (“Ironing Suggestion & Hints”). Next, Friction is the force that causes an object to slow down or affect the effort for the object to move across another surface (“Types of Forces”). Without friction an object will keep traveling in the same direction forever. Friction causes resistance between two surfaces. Newton’s first law states, an object in motion will stay in motion, an object in rest will stay in rest until another force acts upon it. Friction is that force that slows a skier down, without it they will never come to a stop. Furthermore, alpine skiing is a passion to many around the world. Furthermore, “Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings.” (“What Is Skiing”). It is also commonly known as downhill skiing, although that also incorporates different styles (“What Is Skiing”). There are many different styles of downhill skiing, many people ski for the enjoyment but some may participate in competitive ski races. Additionally, velocity is distance divided by time, in other words, how fast an object travels per second, minute, hour, etc. On the other hand
This research paper analyzes the effectiveness of the Tea Party movement to bring about political and social change. The research is based on 5 scholarly sources that study the origin, make up, means and ends of the Tea Party as both a social and political movement. The Who Wants to Have a Tea Party: The Who, the What and the Why of the Tea Party Movement by Kevin Arceneaux and Stephen P. Nicholson look into the make-up of the Tea Party supporters, identify the attitudes of Tea Party supporters on fiscal, social, and racial policies . The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism examines the effect of the Tea Party movement on the Republic Party and Obama’s presidency. Tea Time in America? The Impact of the Tea Party Movement on the 2010 Midterm Elections examines the impact of the Tea Party movement on the 2010 midterm elections and the relationship between the Republican Party and supporters of the Tea Party in two key senate races. Reading the Tea Leaves: An Analysis of Tea Party Behavior Inside and Outside of the House examines the votes of those associated with the Tea Party to determine whether there is a distinction between Tea Party and Republicans. Lastly, various articles chronicling the Tea Party movement from various news outlets are also incorporated.
Emphysema causes the patient to use more muscles to push the air out of the alveoli which causes barrel chest. Other symptoms that can occur includes shortness of breath and dyspnea that will increase. Circumoral cyanosis and symptoms of right ventricular heart failure can also occur as the disease progresses. Emphysema diagnosis is normally symptomatic, which helps in the proper diagnosis. Emphysema can be diagnosed by patient history and clinical exam, pulmonary function studies and radiologic chest studies also help in the diagnosis. Due to the fact that emphysema is not asymptomatic, the diagnosis is much easier when present in the medical office. Certain signs that doctors look for any breathing difficulties, hypertension, polycythemia, wheezing and barrel chest appearance. Other symptoms that can occur include hepatomegaly, edema, blue-ish discoloration around the mouth and clubbed fingers which encourages treatment options that need to be considered. Drug therapy treatment options for emphysema includes adrenergic sympathomimetic drug or can be used in combination with corticosteroid. Other treatment options include medications for GERD, oxygen therapy and in certain cases surgery could be considered. Treatment methods encourage the patient to avoid any pulmonary irritants, getting their flu shot annually, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the prognosis for emphysema is very poor. This disease is actually one of the most common causes of death in the U.S.. Prevention of emphysema is basic education about health risk that can occur from long-term smoking. Also parents should make sure to prevent repeated respiratory infection from occurring to limit the
The tea party has been a hot topic in the United States ever since the movement began in 2008, yet many people do not understand what exactly it is. Contrary to what some people may think, the tea party is not a true political party. It can broadly be defined as a gathering of libertarians, conservatives, and other people who want to change Washington. The common ideals of the tea party movement are cutting government spending, limiting taxes, and stopping excessive federal regulations. The most important thing one needs to know about the movement though, is that there is not a single tea party- the movement consists of hundreds of different autonomous groups, each widely varying in priorities and size.
The most noticeable concept of physics presented in the video is projectiles. The skiers start at the top of a ramp and then they slide down. They leave the ramp at an upward angle and take a projectile path that goes up and then down. The physics is clearly not broken because the skier is experiencing a constant acceleration in the vertical component, which is gravity. As the skier is on the ascent of the projectile path, gravity is working against and is negative. As the skier is on the descent of the projectile path, gravity works with the skier and is positive. In the horizontal component, the skier does not experience acceleration, but instead experiences a constant
Cross-country skiing is as much of a competitive sport, as it is a back country one. Cross-country skiing is enjoyed by people of all ages, and can be relatively inexpensive. There is no need for lift tickets and with a little maintenance equipment can last for decades. As a result of its broad audience, many people don't realize that physics plays a large role in cross-country skiing. This web page was designed to briefly describe some of the concepts behind the physics of skiing, and give a basic understanding of both the sport and the science.
Skiing has been a significant part of my life since I was three. The slopes fill me? with more joy than anywhere else. Throughout my years skiing, my Dad and my older brother Trevor have helped me. Following in their footsteps, I have progressed in both the way I ski and the difficulty of slopes I attempt. When I began skiing, I was scared and needed lessons. I could not complete any slopes except bunnies and greens (the easiest slopes). Through many days spent on the slopes challenging myself, my skill improved. I wanted to ski with my dad and brother, and knew I had to practice in order to even try keeping up with them. Determination to join them and be together skiing made me work harder than I have worked before to improve a skill. This story will help you see some of the challenges I faced and successes I achieved as I began to ski, and improved both my skill and mindset.
In the past 30 years the sport has changed dramatically, adding skis made of synthetic materials, and utilizing waxes for improved speed. Physicists have been at the front line of all this; from determining the coefficent of friction for both the wax and the ski, to helping skiers change their technique based on the laws of physics.
Gliding is the art of maintaining the flattest ski in order to achieve the lowest possible friction. The forces associated with gliding are fairly straightforward: gravity, friction, and air resistance. Air resistance has several inputs that add to the total resistive force. Friction is caused by the lack of a perfectly smooth surface between the skis and snow on a microscopic level. Think of it as the Rocky Mountain range trying to slide over the Himalayas. On a microscopic level this is what friction is.
Skiing involves moving at very high speeds down steep hills past other skiers and natural and man-made obstacles. Since skiing takes place at high altitudes in the winter, the weather can range from sunny and bright to bitterly cold, with conditions changing rapidly from one slope to the next and from one hour to the next. Before you venture out to the slopes, it's very important to have the right gear and know how to use it. In addition to skis, boots, and poles, you will also need warm clothing, protective eyewear, and a helmet intended specifically for skiing or snowboarding.
It also became evident that the way in which the booklets were delivered to the citizens was crucial as the booklets handed out to individuals to people at their doorsteps was found to have a bigger impact on the citizenry’s confidence in comparison to if the booklets were to be sent by the mail (Quinton, 2011). Quinton (2011) suggested that through satisfactory informal contact, such as face to face contact with the police, the National Reassurance Policing Program suggested that it can positively affect one’s confidence in the police and their services. It is evident, as suggested by the research above, that while providing information can have a few setbacks. Recent studies, however, have indicated that the content and way information is delivered has the potential to make people safer, more secure, and lessen their fear of crime; therefore, it is important that certain strategies and tactics be used in the future when police are trying to deliver information to the
Challenge plays an essential role in defining a sport; it provides the individual with the feeling of achievement in success. Skiing poses challenge even in its simplest foundations. Skiing on a poor quality hill, with icy snow and poor upkeep can sometimes create more challenge than a well-groomed slope. Skiing in the backcountry away from lifts and other people in freshly fallen snow provides an opportunity for the best of skiers to test t...