The Physics of Running
Running uses many different laws of physics. Some specific laws or principles are Law of Pendulum; Newton’s First, Second, and Third Laws; velocity; acceleration; and friction. In our project, we will focus specifically on Newton’s three laws, the Law of Pendulum, and velocity. Running is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “to go faster than a walk; specifically : to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step.” This project will explain how the aforementioned laws pertain to the physics of running. Those involved in running sports, for example track and long distance runners, could benefit greatly from the study of physics in running. They could apply
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The ground is the opposite force that pushes back on the runner as they take each step. The direct force is the shoe on the ground, while the ground is the opposing force. Because the ground is pushing back against the shoe, the person is propelled forward. The force Fx is the horizontal force due to the contact between the runner's foot and the ground, and the force Fy is the vertical force due to the contact between the runner's foot and the ground. Friction is also a part of this vertical force. The shoe hitting the ground causes friction to slow the runner down. The force Fg is the gravitational force which pulls down on the runner. This force acts through the center of mass of the runner. During a run the force Fy is greater than Fg in order to lift the runner off the ground as he runs. The force that drives the runner forward is the active force Fx. The foot strikes propel the runner through the air, up until the time the runner lands with their other foot, at which point they push off the ground with that foot, which then sends the runner once more through the air with their center of mass. Running speed is directly related to the magnitude of this …show more content…
Velocity is the rate of change of an object’s position and is a function of time. You can find the speed that someone goes by knowing how far they went and how long it took them to get there. The equation used to find velocity is v=d/t; v is velocity, d is distance traveled, and t is time. Someone who runs the 3200m in 12 minutes runs at an average speed of 266.67 m/min. For a runner who wants to improve their time in a race, they need to cover more distance per minute. To achieve running an 11 minute 30 second 3200m a person would run at an average pace of 278.26m/min. This is found by using the same equation v=d/t. This is used to find average velocity for the race. Many runners do not keep the same speed in a race, especially in a 3200m race. At the end of a race a runner will speed up to as fast as they
Newton’s third law states that “For every action, there is equal and opposite reaction.”This means that if a person would kick the soccer ball, it will kick back at them just as hard. People don’t realise this because their leg doesn’t seem to move. This is because the leg has more mass, meaning it has more inertia, which is the resistance to move.
For runners, the repeated running cycle of bouncing on the back of the feet results in muscle fatigue, which may lead to higher forces being applied to the the attachment of fascia (outer covering of muscle) to bone, and finally the bone itself.
Force summation is the combination of forces produced by different parts of the body (Kent, 2007). When a person is moving an object, several different parts of the body act together to maximize the force. The strongest and lowest body parts around the centre of gravity (trunk and thighs) move first, followed by the weaker, lighter and faster extremities (foot). This is known as sequential force summation and results in fast accelerations. When several body parts are used in a skill, their sequence and timing are important. Big muscle groups are used first progressed by smaller muscles and body parts (Government of Western Australia, 2011). My partner built up momentum during the run up and then correctly swung her kicking leg behind her body to generate speed which provides the body with energy and force to transfer onto the ball. However, she focused on her run up and leg movement too much and consequently her force was not concentrated in the correct way and didn’t effectively follow through. In future, my partner should kick the ball with an
Dr. Delp’s research analyzes muscle movement, structure, and purpose with the use of model simulations mechanisms and other software technology. In Running with a load increases leg stiffness, it is identified that added loads to the body impacts running posture, causing crouching of the body, and does contribute to higher leg stiffness. In line with Dr. Delp’s talk today of the “Dynamics of walking and running,” a comparison is established between both types of movement and the authors delve into how each are impacted when under a load (ranging from 10-30% body fat). Subjects walking and running under a load, compared to zero load, were to found to have longer ground
Bonnechere and all’s purpose of writing this article was to “ [share] a biomechanical analysis of three different sprint start patterns to
The fastest growing sport in America is lacrosse, and in order to play lacrosse, it is important to first understand the physics of the game. Lacrosse players around the world use physics while playing without even thinking about it. With no knowledge of physics, it would be pretty difficult to master the fastest game on two feet. One of the worlds greatest scientist, Isaac Newton, established three laws dealing with physics, and using these laws will make it possible for a lacrosse player to understand what he or she needs to do in order to throw a ball. Newtons first law deals with inertia, his second law deals with the relationship between mass, acceleration and force, and his third law deals with opposite reactions. When talking about lacrosse, it is essential to cover Newton’s first law, his second law, and his third law in order to understand the physics behind throwing a lacrosse ball. .
Running, it is the simplest of movements: right foot, left foot, right foot, and the simplest of actions: run, relax, and breathe. Many individuals participate in this form of exercise because they enjoy how good it makes them feel, they enjoy feeling the strength of their body while they run, and they enjoy using it as a way of relieving their stress. There are many other factors to take into consideration that effect a persons running such as, the type of footwear they are using, the distance they are running, and the speed of which they are running at. The objective of the main article was to research and compare the differences in stride length, hip, knee and ankle angles in runners when running two different conditions, shod and barefoot, also while running at two
The placement of the non kicking foot determines the direction of the kick. The support leg also acts as a stabilizer by flexing at the knee once the foot makes contact with the ground. (Lees, Asai, Andersen, Nunome & Sterzing, 2010) Pictured below in Figures 1 and 2 are two different athletes with very diverse abilities. You can see both the direction of the planted foot and the flexion of the knee in both players.
Heiderscheit et al (2010) States that hamstring strains in high speed running, generally occur in the late swing phase of the gait cycle, during the second half of the swing, the hamstrings are active, lengthening and absorbing energy from the decelerating limb in preparation for ground reaction, and the bicep femoris is stretched. Furthermore this confirmed by an earlier study, Koulouris and Connell (2003) conclude
When they plant their foot, the momentum from the acceleration forward is stopped and the force travels up their body. The friction from the grass and shoes
This article is about the fast growing technique of endurance running, which has evolved over the years significantly. Although it may seem like a bit trendy and popular, this particular type of running has its pros and cons. Due to the fact that endurance running includes a various amount of repetitive ground impact forces, it is not unlikely for one to develop a stress injury to the lower leg. In order to decrease the risk that comes along with endurance running, preventative measures should be enforced. When running some of the most common injuries that one may be at risk for are patellofemoral pain syndrome, tibial stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, and Achilles tendonitis. But in this article, a new study suggests that Barefoot running contains the potential to promote the healing process, increase performance, and decrease injury rates. Still to this day disagreement exists as to whether barefoot/minimalist running stimulates healing, increases performance and decreases injury rates.
force the soccer ball uses to kick back at the player’s foot. It is hard for the player to realize
As the vaulter prepares for the vault to occur and starts to run down the track they need to be wearing appropriate footwear with a large surface area. This will result in a large amount of friction being produced between the sole of the shoe and the ground, allowing the vaulter more traction whilst running down the track as more of the sole of the shoe is in contact with the path. This allows the vaulter to accelerate to faster speeds due to the traction caused by the athlete’s shoes. This relates to Newton’s second law of motion which is: If an object changes its motion (=accelerates) then an unbalanced (net) force is acting on it in the direction of the acceleration. The traction of the shoes allows the vaulter to accelerate as if they were to run at a constant
The force to stop comes from the static friction of your foot or shoe against the bottom material it is on, such as a floor or cement outside. That creates the opposite reaction of Newton’s third law and as that force pushes you forward. While the forward momentum is going on you also have the force of gravity to deal with as well as keeping your balance.
What goes up must come down. That's why running is a high-impact activity. Each time they land, runners subject their bodies to a stress equal to about three times their body weight. In just one mile, a typical runner's legs will have to absorb more than 100 tons of impact force. It's a testament to the human body that running can be safe and enjoyable.