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Take these sports science challenges with your
kids!
Athletes need to
understand some basic science concepts so that they can work to
excel at their sport. Scientifically speaking, the center of
gravity is the point in any object around which its weight is
equally distributed. Knowing where your center of gravity and how
this relates to a particular sport can be critical to success!
Explore the concept of center of gravity with these two surprising
challenges!
Challenge #1
Materials
Procedure:
Step 1: Ask a
volunteer if he or she can pick up the “valuable object” that you
placed right in front of him/her.
Step 2: Before
they begin the task let them know that they must keep their
bottom, legs, and heels so that they touch the wall. The
volunteer cannot bend their knees in any way.
Step 3: Ask the
volunteer to pick up the object. What happens?
Challenge #2
Materials
Procedure:
Step 1: Place your
left shoulder and left foot against the wall. Try to raise your
right foot and keep it raised. Can you do it?
Step 2: Now move away from the wall and stand with your feet
apart. Without shifting your weight, lift your right foot straight
up. It will probably go back down immediately. Now shift your
weight so that you are able to lift your right foot up and keep it
up. How did you change your body position to be able to balance
yourself on your left foot?
Take a moment to
discuss with your kids the science behind what is happening. In
the first challenge, in order for the volunteer to pick up the
object that is right in front of him/her, he/she must be able to
shift their center of gravity. Our center of gravity has to stay
above our feet (our pivot point). When picking up an object from
the floor, our legs and the lower part of our bodies move backward
in order to stay balanced. When standing against the wall, we
can't shift backwards and our center of gravity moves in front of
our feet causing us to fall over. The problem your volunteer runs
into is that he/she cannot shift their center of gravity, because
the wall gets into the way. They will fall down before they ever
pick up the valuable object you placed right in front of them.
In the second
challenge when you are standing against the wall, it is impossible
to stand on your left foot only because you need to shift your
center of gravity over your left foot, but the wall won't let you
shift your weight!
Athletes can take
advantage of their center of gravity to help them in their
particular sport. The closer your center of gravity is to the
ground, the more stable you are. Having a lower center of gravity
is an advantage in sprinting because you are less likely to be
blown over by the wind or to fall over if you stumble. Having a
high center of gravity can be advantageous in some sports like
high jumping where the trick is to get your center of gravity over
the bar. If you have a high center of gravity, you are more likely
to be able to leap over higher bars!
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Mad Science aims
to spark the imagination and curiosity of children by providing
them with fun, entertaining and educational activities that
instill a clear understanding of what science is really about and
how it affects the world around them . For more information call
(727) 895-5595 or (813) 655-6643 or visit our website at
www.MadScience.org/wsTampaBay
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