Consider the following graph, excerpted from The Science of Ice Skating: Volume 3 from Schottenbauer Publishing. The graph shows acceleration during a figure skating spin.
Discussion Questions
- Initially, which direction is vertical or nearly vertical?
- At the end, which direction is vertical or nearly vertical?
- Describe the relationship between the initial and final angles of the foot in relation to the floor.
- Is it possible to identify how many revolutions are present? If so, how many? If not, why?
- Is it possible to determine whether this is a slow or fast spin? If so, which is it?
- What is the initial velocity? The final velocity?
- What is most likely the cause of the spikes in the graph?
Additional free graphs are available in a free pamphlet from the publisher's webpage.
The following books from Schottenbauer Publishing contain similar types of graphs and data pertaining to the science of ice skating, figure skating, and hockey:
- The Science of Ice Skating
- Volume 1: Translational Motion
- Volume 2: Rotational Motion (Curves)
- Volume 3: Rotational Motion (Spins)
- Volume 4: Jumps
- Volume 5: Ice Hockey
- Volume 6: Biophysics
- Volume 7: Video Analysis
- Volume 8: Reference Manual
- The Science of Hockey
- Volume 1: Force, Acceleration, & Video Analysis of Pucks & Balls
- Volume 2: Force & Acceleration of Sticks, plus Biophysics
- Volume 3: Video Analysis of Ice, Field, & Street Hockey Sticks
- The Science of Figure Skating
- The Science of Ice Hockey
- The Science of Winter Olympic Sports
