The Physics of Skateboarding

 

Created by:  Ken Workman Capistrano Unified URL: http://www.can-do.com/uci/lessons99/skateboard.html URL:  http://www-sci.lib.uci.edu/SEP/CTS99/skateboard.html

Purpose:
For students to observe/learn skateboard tricks and relate those movements to the following Physics Concepts: Newton's 3 laws, gravity, momentum, trajectory projectiles, circular motion, and friction (four types: rolling, sliding, static and air resistance).  Students will use hyperlinks to learn about Physic Concepts and skateboard tricks.  These hyperlinks are colored purple and underlined. They contain text, pictures and video clips.  You need to have QuickTime.  If you have a phone modem for your internet connection, you will need patience when looking at the pictures or video. 
(This will take about 15 seconds with a fast connection and about 3 to 4 minutes with a dial-up connection.)  This lesson is based on material from the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California.
 

Resources needed for task 1: Newton's 1st, 2nd and 3rd Laws Gravity Momentum Trajectory Circular motion Friction

Your First Task #1:  You need to define or explain in your own words on your own paper 
        the following 11 Physics Concepts.

1)  Newton's 1st law
2)  Newton's 2nd law
3)  Newton's 3rd law
4)  Gravity
5)  Momentum
6)  Circular Motion
7)  Trajectory
8)  Rolling Friction
9)  Sliding Friction
10) Static Friction
11) Air Resistance Friction

Your second stop is Skateboarding hyperlinks 
 

Resources/hyperlinks needed for task 2: Skateboard information T.Hawk-1/2pipeair T.Hawk-1/2pipedropin T.Hawk-1/4pipeMcTwist T.Hawk-1/2pipe video clips Hockey-skating Hockey-shooting

Your Second Task # 2:

You are going to use the above skateboarding hyperlinks to learn and see skateboard
tricks through text, pictures and video. 
Next, you have to explain how the skateboard tricks relate to Physics Concepts. 
You have to do three skateboard trick explanations per Physics Concept.  You will use the following format below.

Below is an example,  a picture/example is worth a thousand words.