Title page
DID YOU KNOW THAT
YOU CAN LEARN PHYSICS
WHILE JUMP ROPING?
This is about the science involved in jump roping. It will answer a few
of your questions about how a jump rope works.
It answers the following questions:
What forces get the rope going?
What forces keep it going?
What
force slows it down AND speeds it up?
What other force slows down the
rope?
______________
sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com
“Gateway to Science: Sports and Games” Quincy
Access Television
1st inside page (left)
WHAT FORCES GET THE ROPE GOING?
YOU (or two
of you) are
the fuel (the energy)
providing
A pushing up and out force AND
A turning force (called torque)
Between YOUR hands is the axis of rotation.
WHAT FORCES KEEP IT GOING?
Torque keeps the rope spinning around the axis of rotation (YOU).
And this gives us centripetal force (a force that follows a curved path and is drawn to the center).
In addition, angular momentum (momentum going in a 360° circle — always changing angles) helps maintain
inertia — a tendency to stay
in motion.
2nd inside page (middle)
WHAT FORCE SLOWS DOWN THE ROPE and SPEEDS IT UP?
What
force works against and for the forces of
motion?
FIRST
WAY. Gravity pulls down on the jump rope.
When the rope is going up, gravity pulls against it.
SECOND
WAY. However,
then when the rope is going down,
gravity helps you. It helps the rope
keep moving in that direction.
Guess what?
A hula hoop works on the same principles. But there is a difference:
The hoop is on a horizontal ---- plane.
The jumprope is
on a vertical │ plane.
3rd inside page (right)
WHAT OTHER FORCE SLOWS DOWN THE ROPE?
What other force works against the
forces of motion?
Friction is a
slowing force that works against motion.
Friction
between the rope and:
1 – the floor and your hands
2 – the air (air resistance, or drag)
will
work to slow down the rope.
However, the hands supply the
energy to turn the rope, so this probably
cancels out the effect of friction from the hands.
Back page
Jump roping is just one of
endless ways to gain an understanding of physics
and geometry. I hope this pamphlet
introduces you to seeing things you never saw before – or wondered about but
just didn’t know where to start.
Physics and geometry come into play in
every single activity and event going on around us.
Knowing how things work can add to your
performance and to your fun.
So
give it a try. How?
·
·
You may not
understand everything in it right away, but for now,
use what you do understand.
·
See what books or
videos your library has.
·
Share them with your
friends, your class, your team, your scout troop.
·
Read my blog and tell
others: sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com
·
See my show on Quincy
Access Television, channel 8:
“Gateway to Science:
Sports & Games”
Thank
you! Kathy Hogan
Sports and games are
the gateway to science,
and YOU hold the key!
