The Physics Behind Running.
"Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose"
We were instructed to study the physics behind one sport, and make a video about the concepts and how those concepts applies to the sport and can help you become a better athlete. Here is our end result: The Physics of Running.
First, we brainstormed ideas for what sport we wanted to study. We soon decided with running because it is used in many sports and everyday life. It was also helpful because I am a runner on the cross country team, and learning about running would also help me become a better runner.
After we knew what we were going to study, we all collaborated together and came up with what concepts we were going to calculate and include in our video. As well as a list of everything we needed to do to make sure we get don't leave anything out. Also so we could visualize how much we needed to get done with the amount of time we were given. |
The first step towards making our video was creating a storyboard, a list of everything that the video will include. Once we made our storyboard, Emmy worked on creating a list of all the shots we needed and what each shot would need, slow-motion, freeze frame, split frame, etc. While she worked on that, I proceeded to research all the concepts that would be mentioned in the video as well.
Once we finished our tasks, Emmy and I started work on the script. A few days later of working on the script, Maielle, Emmy, and I met after school to film and record our voiceovers. We filmed across the school at O'Hair Park, where the total filming took us about an hour. |
With all our filming, voiceovers, and scripts complete, we spent the remaining time going scene by scene and editing our clips with Maielle. We decided what video clips would go with what scenes and how we wanted the information to be presented on screen. You can view the notes I typed below, which includes our script as well.
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Force: Force is the influence that causes an object to undergo a change. For our project, force was a big factor. We you used the formula, mv=ft instead of f=ma because the runner is in motion and moving so the force she exerts is higher than if she were standing still.
Acceleration: Acceleration is the increase in rate or speed of something. You can calculate this by using the formula, acceleration=change in velocity divided by the however long it took. This wasn't a major part of our project, because when running, your acceleration constantly changes.
Momentum: Momentum is the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity. Momentum is also equal to impulse. You can calculate momentum by multiplying the mass of the object and the velocity.
Velocity: Velocity is speed in a given direction. Velocity is similar to acceleration, except it has direction. Running requires velocity. The runner's velocity starts at zero when they first begin running, and their velocity gradually increases until their speed is constant, then their velocity is zero again, and will remain zero until the runner's speed changes again. You can calculate velocity with this formula, Velocity=Distance/Time.
Center of Gravity: The point at which the entire weight of a body may be considered as concentrated so that if supported at this point the body would remain in equilibrium in any position
Projectile Motion really wasn't relevant to our topic we did calculate a runner's projectile motion. Projectile motion is a form of motion in which an object or particle is thrown obliquely near the earth's surface, and it moves along a curved path under the action of gravity only.The path followed by a projectile motion is called its trajectory.
I believe my group was worked very well together. We were all accepting of everyones ideas and opinions. We also made sure the work was split equally so that no one was overworked or overshadowed.
We were especially good at planning out what we needed and what we had. For example, the first thing we did as a group was write down a schedule of everything we needed to do, or calculate and when we needed it done by. Personally, I did a lot better at contributing my ideas than I did with other projects in the past. I was the one who suggested to base the film on running and where to film as well as many other ideas. |
While there really was much my group had trouble with, nothing is perfect. We probably had the most trouble with scheduling when we could film after school and meet at lunch. We had some difficulty at first dividing up the work but soon we figured it out and it worked out.
The most troubling part I dealt with myself was making sure I learn about editing during this project. Having four people edit is ridiculous and inefficient. So while Maielle edited I tried my best to watch and learn from someone as experienced as she is. |