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Michael
J. O’Shea Outdoor Sport Modeling For Educators and interested
sports ‘practitioners’ |
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Backpacking
– why smaller people can
carry heavier loads. A simple model of the human frame is created and
analyzed. With some reasonable assumptions
it is found that the human frame has an optimum size for carrying a large
backpack load. Snowboarding - why snowboarders can drop off significant edges. A snowboarder
dropping over a vertical edge onto soft sloping snow at the base is
analyzed. The force experienced by the
snowboarder on landing can be significantly reduced not only by the
cushioning of the snow, but also by angle of the slope itself. Analogous effects are present for a
mountain bike dropping over a vertical edge onto a sloping surface. River
Rescue – the forces
involved in whitewater boating. Newton’s 2nd law is used to
estimate the force of moving water on a wrapped kayak, canoe or raft. A so-called ‘z-drag’ used in river rescue
is analyzed and an example of a tie-off to a raft is also analyzed. Climbing
on rock – the forces on the climber. The climber is modeled and forces on the hands and friction forces on
the feet are calculated for various situations. Regimes of climber stability are
determined. Belaying a climber – if the climber slips just after they start their climb will they contact the ground? The belay system is modeled to calculate the force on the climber should they slip and fall. The condition that determines if the climber will contact the ground when they slip is calculated. Finally, the average force during this ground contact is calculated. |