The Physics of Riding Bulls

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The Physics of Riding Bulls

Rodeo is a sport that came about by everyday work being made into competition.

Every event in rodeo has a practical purpose; all but one that is. There is no practical reason to get on a bull; only the thrills, chills, and rush of excitement. It¡¦s more than a challenge between riders. It¡¦s a challenge between man and beast. Legendary cowboy Larry Mahan had an even different way of looking at it. He said, ¡§It¡¦s not a challenge with the animal but with the weakness in one¡¦s self¡¨. At any rate, it¡¦s all about the challenge.

The challenge is simple; stay on the bull¡¦s back for eight seconds while keeping one hand fee from contact with the bull or your own body. Well it sounds simple anyways. Bull riding is a difficult challenge that involves overcoming many forces.

Bulls will try just about anything to get a rider off their back. This includes raring, kicking, spinning, jumping, belly rolls, and some unintended moves such as stumbling and falling down. All the moves produce some sort of force the rider has to overcome.

Fortunately the rider can produce a few forces of their own. Mainly, the rider only has a combination or leg strength and arm strength to counter with. But, there is a lot that a rider can do to overcome these forces through body positioning.

There are really two different types of bulls; fast bulls, and strong bulls. Fast bulls are the hardest to ride. Typically, a bull can move much faster that a human making it difficult for the rider to keep up.

There are basically three types of motions that a bull can make: linear, circular, and rotational. Linear motions include the rare, kick, jump, and just plain running. Circular motions include spinning. Rotational m...

... middle of paper ...

...ay at the center point of the circle. Some bulls can do so many random and different moves so fast that the rider may black out or loose focus. The only way to really get good is through experience. Experience trains the subconscious so that as the rider feels what the bull is doing he can react faster. A bull rider must also be in great shape. Much energy is spent in the course of a bull ride. The energy is equal to the force applied times the distance traveled. The forces are great and as fast as a bull can move they can cover a lot of ground in eight seconds. This adds up to a lot of energy being expended. Bull riding can be loads of fun. But it is definitely no picnic.

WORKS CITED

Kirkpatrick, Larry D., and Gerald F. Wheeler. Physics A World View, Fourth Edition.

1992. Orlando: Harcourt, 2001. p. 275.

http://plabpc.csustan.edu/astro/newton/cpetal.htm

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