Transcript Slopestyle Skiing

Slopestyle Skiing
Connections with Physics and
Newton’s Laws of Motion
By Hunter Flowers
Olympic Sport
Rules of Slopestyle Skiing
 In slopestyle skiing, there is a combination of grind rails and
other terrain park obstacles, as well as large jumps.
 The object of slopestyle skiing is to go down the course and
try to perform the best trick possible on each obstacle.
 Each skier receives a score from the judges based on their
run. Each skier gets two runs, but only the highest score is
kept.
 Judges look for execution (how well they perform the
tricks), amplitude (how much air they get off the jumps),
variety, difficulty, progression, and combinations.
 Five judges score each out of the two runs on a scale of 1 to
100.
A slopestyle
ski course
Slopestyle Skiing Jump Physics
Diagram
The skier’s velocity allows him to
launch off of the jump and fly
through the air.
Gravity is pulling
down on the
skier causing
him to fall to the
Earth.
The low friction between the snow and the skis allow
the skier to rapidly accelerate off of the jump.
The skier spins
their body on the
takeoff creating
torque, thus
making him rotate
in the air.
Slopestyle Skiing Rail Physics
Diagram
The skier’s
velocity and
inertia allow
him to travel
down the rail.
There is
friction with
the skis and
the rail.
Gravity is pulling
down on the skier
keeping him on the
rail.
Physics Involved with Slopestyle Skiing
Newton’s Laws of Motion

An object a rest tends to stay at
rest, and an object in motion tends
to stay a motion unless acted upon
by an unbalanced force.
A skier’s inertia allows them to launch
off of the jump without coming to a
stop once they ascend up the jump.

Force = Mass x Acceleration
The greater the mass of a skier, the
more force they need to push down on
the snow with to lift off of the tip of
the jump and accelerate forward.

For every action there is an equal
and opposite reaction.
A skier exerts a force on every grind
rail that they grind on, and the rail
exerts a force back on them.
Other Physics Connections
 Kinetic EnergyWhen a skier is going down the
run, they have kinetic energy
because they are in motion and
doing different movements.
 Potential EnergyWhen a skier is at the top of the
run waiting to start downward,
they have potential energy
because their energy is stored.
How can Physics be used to Improve this Sport?
 Physics could be used to improve this sport if the course
designers created larger jumps or used steeper slopes, so
the skiers would have more air time, allowing them to do
more complex and advanced tricks. This would allow
physics to benefit the athletes.
 Also, if they made more smooth skis with less friction,
athletes would be able to gain more speed for the jumps,
and rails, enabling them to perform more difficult tricks and
get a higher score.
 If skis had sharper edges, skiers could dig their edges into
the snow and twist to create even more torque to rotate in
the air.
 Lastly, if people compose grind rails out of different
materials that don’t rust or deteriorate , skiers would
always be grinding on a slick, even surface, so they would
be more consistent.
Works Cited
Dunfors, Malin. "The Judging Factor - Slopestyleskiing." Slopestyleskiing. N.p., 2013. Web.
04 Mar. 2014. <http://www.slopestyleskiing.org/the-judging-factor.html>.
"Kinetic and Potential Energy." - Difference and Comparison. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.diffen.com/difference/Kinetic_Energy_vs_Potential_Energy>.
"Newton's Laws." Newton's Laws. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Tutorial/Newton-s-Laws>.
Slopestyle Course. Digital image. Thumbs.newschoolers.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
<http://thumbs.newschoolers.com/index.php?src=http://media.newschoolers.com/uploa
ds/images/17/00/51/50/52/515052.jpeg&size=600x564>.
Slopestyle Grind. Digital image. Skitracks.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.skitracks.com.au/sites/default/files/FreerideRails%200616%20386_0.jpg>.
Slopestyle Skiing. Digital image. Blogs.denverpost.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
<http://blogs.denverpost.com/sports/files/2013/12/458768021-495x330.jpg>.