Have you ever thought about the physics on a roller coaster? Well, its pretty simple. Once you are in the car of the roller coaster you build up potential energy as you go up the hill, which then is released as kinetic energy. Once you are going to the hill gravity takes over and all of the potential energy you built up is released into kinetic energy. Gravity applies a constant downward force on the cars. Since an object in motion tends to stay in motion, the coaster car will maintain a fo
Have you ever rock climbed before? Have you ever wondered what physics is involved? Well, there is so much physics involved. Before you start rock climbing they give you a special type of shoe that makes it easier for you to climb. Compared to your sneaker the climbing shoe has a higher coefficient of friction than the sneaker. The sneaker's rubber is stickier to help you grip the rock better. This same use can be seen with the chalk that you use on your hand during the climb. This can be s
Have you ever been kayaking before? Well, if you have doesn't kayak paddling seems like a confusing motion? Since water is a liquid when you push against it, it would seem like it would just move out of the way. But it does not, when you push against the water, you actually move forward not the water. Why is this?
The reason you move forward is because of newtons 3rd law, which states that for every action(paddle) there is an equal and opposite reaction(movement). This means that for every pa
Kite flying can be for all ages, young or old. They come in all different shapes, colors and sizes. Each kite following the basic kite design. The physics of flying a kite is very similar to lifting an airplane off the runway.
To get a kite airborne its necessary to run while holding the kite behind you. One the kite reaches a high enough altitude and the wind becomes strong enough, the kite will fly aloft. Forces are applied to the kite to keep it in the air. The wind blows in the direc
A horse has multiple gaits. A walk, a four beat gait, a trot, a two beat gait and a canter, a three beat gait. The most common gait to jump from is the canter because it allows the rider to have a more consistent velocity to jump. In order to balance the rider goes into a position, which is known as a 2-point during the flight.
There are four phases of a jump, approach, takeoff, flight and land. In the first phase of the jump (approach) the horse only has kinetic energy which can be expressed