Image courtesy of Gerald A. Smith, http://biomekanikk.nih.no/xchandbook/ Image courtesy of Gerald A. Smith, http://biomekanikk.nih.no/xchandbook/

Physics Newton’s Law of Inertia An object in motion will continue moving in the same direction at the same speed unless an external force acts to change the motion characteristics.  The external forces that act upon a skier are friction and resistance. Newton’s Law of Acceleration  F=ma The force acting on an object will cause an acceleration on the object in the direction of the force and proportional to the strength of the force.  Friction on skis acts opposite to the direction of motion and causes deceleration.  The amount of deceleration depends on the magnitude of the frictional force and on the mass of the skier.

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