How do figure skaters exploit Newtonian physics when they spin?

Legendary MIT physics professor Walter Lewin describes some of the science that was in action during the Winter Olympics in Sochi. He explains how ice-skaters use their arms to moderate their moment of inertia, which in turn affects the angular velocity of their spins. The biomechanics is fairly straightforward, but Walter Lewin always manages to make his lessons engaging thanks to his trademark charisma.

 

Jabulani Football Physics - Sixty Symbols

We discuss the Jabulani (official World Cup football) which has caused so much debate - and a few of our scientists take it for some field testing!

 

Out scientists field test the official World Cup football with an impromptu penalty shoot-out.

Epic leaps

Physics and extreme sports.

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Science Xplained: Topspin Doctor: How Physics Serves Tennis

Physics, anyone? In this segment, Dr. Ainissa Ramirez discusses how the strings in a tennis racket--often made of synthetic or natural materials--make the important topspin shot possible. She shows how knowing physics can give your game an advantage.

 

Usain Bolt vs. Gravity

Who's faster over 10 meters - the fastest sprinter in the world, or gravity?

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Physics of Sailing ft. Olympian Hunter Lowden - Creators Invade London

How does a sailboat work? The standard idea is that the wind pushes the sails from behind, causing the boat to move forward. Although this technique is used at times, it is not the most efficient way to sail a boat (and it means the boat can never go faster than the wind). Lift is the key mechanism driving a boat forwards. As air flows over the sails, it moves faster over the outer side, creating lower pressure than on the inner side. This produces a force which is mostly to the side and a bit forwards. Lift on the centerboard pushes to the opposite side, cancelling the sideways force and adding a forward component of force to the boat.

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Physics of High Jump - Fosbury Flops Invade London

The strange thing about high jump is that the technique changed dramatically after 1968, when Dick Fosbury used his trademark flop to win the gold medal at the Olympics in Mexico City.

Previously the straddle had been the most common jumping technique, but after the introduction of safer landing matts, the new unorthodox Fosbury Flop became the jump of choice.   There are good physical reasons for this - the style allows the jumper to pass over the bar while his or her centre of mass actually passes below the bar.

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The Most Burly Hurls

Which is the most intense Olympic throwing event? Shot put? Hammer? Discus? Javelin?

Other Minute Physics videos

 

Football, Physics, and Symmetry

Two linemen colliding can light a 60W bulb for over a minute!

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Sport vs Physics

2004 lecture by Dr Dave James (Sheffield University) as part of the Institute of Physics Schools and Colleges Lecture Tour.

Physics applied to sprint, pole vault, javelin, wheelchair racing, soccer and tennis.

(Found in Physics and Physicists)

Other videos by Institute of Physics

The Physics of Baseball

From the energy supplied by the pitcher to the ball to the way the batter swings the bat to the path of the fly ball to center field, ways that physics can be applied to baseball to better understand and enjoy the game!

December 9, 2003

Dr. Robert Adair - Yale University

Other lectures from Jefferson Lab Science Series

(See also this conference about the physics of baseball, by Dr. Alan Nathan.)

Other Jefferson Lab videos

Physics of Hockey

Brad Orr, from University of Michingan Physics Department.
Why ice is slippery?  Shooting.  How padding protects from collisions.

The physics of baseball

Jefferson Lab's Science Series
Speaker: Dr. Alan Nathan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: March 28, 2002

Other lectures from Jefferson Lab Science Series