{"id":172442,"date":"2024-11-11T12:19:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T12:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/11\/math-reveals-how-skateboarders-can-ramp-up-their-half-pipe-power\/"},"modified":"2024-11-11T12:19:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T12:19:06","slug":"math-reveals-how-skateboarders-can-ramp-up-their-half-pipe-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/11\/math-reveals-how-skateboarders-can-ramp-up-their-half-pipe-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Math reveals how skateboarders can ramp up their half-pipe power"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"584\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1030_Skateboard_Pumping_halfpipe_fixed.png?fit=1030,584&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Math reveals how skateboarders can ramp up their half-pipe power\" title=\"Math reveals how skateboarders can ramp up their half-pipe power\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"video-embed\">\n<p>A new study hints at how skateboarders <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prresearch\/abstract\/10.1103\/PhysRevResearch.6.033132\" rel=\"noopener\">can up their half-pipe game \u2014 using math.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Tricks like kickflips and ollies require speed. As skateboarders roll along a U-shaped ramp called a half-pipe, they build speed and climb higher by pumping. To pump, they alternate between crouching and standing.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"sn-conversion rich-text alignright\"\/>\n<p>Pumping on a half-pipe is a lot like pumping on a swing, says Florian Kogelbauer. A mathematician, he works at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. On a swing, you stretch your legs while leaning backward and bend your knees while leaning forward. This motion changes how your body <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-mass\">mass<\/a> is distributed. Syncing your pumps with the back-and-forth motion of swinging gives you an\u00a0energy boost that makes you go higher. This increases <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-potential-energy\">your potential energy<\/a>. Pumping on a half-pipe does something similar for skateboarders.<\/p>\n<p>Where should skateboarders change positions to get the biggest boost? Some say it\u2019s about practice and feeling the rhythm. Kogelbauer and his colleagues instead turned to math.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"wp-block-sciencenews-inline-related-post alignleft\">\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/explainer-kinetic-potential-energy-physics\">Explainer: Kinetic and potential energy<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/aside>\n<p>They used a theoretical study. In this type, you first take a real-world problem and translate it into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-equation\">equations<\/a>, Kogelbauer says. Then you solve these math problems and translate the answer back to the real world.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers started with the equations for a simple case: a rider going back and forth on a swing. Most aspects of swinging are well understood: the forces at play, the motion and the energy involved. The scientists then modified these equations to better match the skateboard scenario. They used them to create a mathematical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-model-definition-pronunciation\">model<\/a>. How far up the ramp a skater can go depends on how their body position changes along the half-pipe. This model captured that relationship.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"yQPSR8dyJWc\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"This Video Will Change How You Think About Pumping\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yQPSR8dyJWc?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A skateboarder demonstrates how changing his center of mass by crouching and standing at strategic points builds speed and height on a half-pipe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Then they programmed their simple model into a computer. They added real-world details. These included things such as the size of the half-pipe and that of the skateboarder. Then this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/explainer-what-computer-model\">computer model<\/a> calculated the ideal body position for skaters as they moved along the ramp\u2019s length.<\/p>\n<p>Skateboarders should crouch as they go downhill and stand just before they hit the flat area, this model suggests. Then they should crouch again until they hit the uphill. There, they should stand again and stay standing until they start to roll back downhill.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3145951\">To build as much speed as possible, a skateboarder on a half-pipe crouches while going downhill (left) and stands while going uphill (right). The graph shows what a mathematical model says is a skater\u2019s ideal height (from crouching to standing) along the ramp.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3145951\">Kogelbauer et al.\/Physical Review Research 2024 (CC BY 4.0); adapted by K. Redmond<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Simple models of real-world motion<\/h2>\n<p>The next step was to compare the model\u2019s output against how real skateboarders move. The researchers recruited two skaters to tackle a half-pipe. The scientists instructed them to reach a certain ramp height as quickly as possible. Afterward, the team analyzed video footage to see where the skaters crouched and stood.<\/p>\n<p>The more experienced skater naturally pumped just like the team\u2019s model suggested \u2014 and hit the goal height faster. The less experienced skateboarder had to pump more times to reach the same height. And that skater\u2019s body position didn\u2019t match the model very well.<\/p>\n<p>That means the model likely captures the most efficient way to pump, Kogelbauer concludes. If you want to get better at skating half-pipes, he says, try to crouch and stand just as the model shows. The researchers shared their results in August in <em>Physical Review Research<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"8AJKN3QTfoE\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Physics of Pumping on a Skateboard - Fully Explained + Easy to Understand!\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8AJKN3QTfoE?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this video, you can see how the forces generated when you raise and lower your center of mass while on a skateboard can give you an energy boost to go faster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This research could also benefit robotics, says Sorina Lupu. An engineer, she studies ways to help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-robot-definition-pronunciation\">robots<\/a> walk at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. People can contort their bodies in a huge variety of ways. Robots, however, lack muscles. This limits their range of motion, she explains. And that makes it harder to program complex movements in them, such as walking.<\/p>\n<p>Some groups analyze human motion with high-tech equipment. Then they use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-artificial-intelligence-definition-pronunciation\">artificial intelligence<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-machine-learning\">machine learning<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/ai-nimble-robots-reinforcement-learning\">help robots copy that motion<\/a>. It can pay off, but the model for the robots\u2019 motion can get complicated. And if something goes wrong, it can be hard to figure out what happened and why, Lupu says.<\/p>\n<section class=\"newsletter-signup__wrapper___lZ0W1 wp-block-house-ads wp-block-newsletter-signup\">\n<picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module@1x.png 1x,&#10;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module@2x.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module-sm@1x.png 1x,&#10;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module-sm@2x.png 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"newsletter-signup__background___Eym8W\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module-sm@2x.png\" alt=\"\"\/><br \/>\n<\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<div class=\"newsletter-signup__container___srNOL\" data-component=\"newsletter-signup\">\n<h3 class=\"newsletter-signup__heading___0EHmb\">\n\t\t\tEducators and Parents, Sign Up for The Cheat Sheet\t\t<\/h3>\n<div class=\"newsletter-signup__message___pemaq\">\n<p>Weekly updates to help you use <em>Science News Explores<\/em> in the learning environment<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"newsletter-signup__thankyou___K6GGN\">Thank you for signing up!<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-signup__error___hCsJI\">There was a problem signing you up.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>But the skateboard study used a simple model to predict how someone should move. It worked even though it didn\u2019t include all the complicated forces involved. That approach, she says, might work for robotics, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of value in the work that they have done,\u201d says Lupu. She especially likes that the team checked its model\u2019s result against an experienced skateboarder\u2019s motion.<\/p>\n<p>The agreement shows that simple systems can model real-world motions well, says Kogelbauer. And it suggests that such models could help both athletes and robots improve their performance.<strong\/><\/p>\n<aside class=\"sn-conversion rich-text\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/skateboard-pumping-math-physics\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new study hints at how skateboarders can up their half-pipe game \u2014 using math. Tricks like kickflips and ollies require speed. As skateboarders roll along a U-shaped ramp called a half-pipe, they build speed and climb higher by pumping. To pump, they alternate between crouching and standing. Pumping on a half-pipe is a lot [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":172443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1030_Skateboard_Pumping_halfpipe_fixed.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[606],"tags":[134406,38826,2974,10707,1185,134405],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172442"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172442"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172444,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172442\/revisions\/172444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}