How About those Tricks?
Professional snowboarders are capable of
pulling off some impressive stunts. These include
grabs, spins, flips, and many combinations of the
three. Let's focus on spins though and how the physics
works behind them. To start spinning in the air, a
snowboarder must gain angular momentum on the ramp just
before they take off into the air. They do this by
quickly twisting their body in the direction of the desired
spin. To calculate angular momentum, one must use the
equation w=d(theta)/dt. w is the angular momentum,
d(theta) is the change in angle, and dt is the change in
time. The greater the angle, the greater the angular
momentum, allowing for more spins in the air. Also,
once in the air, snowboarders tuck their arms in closer to
their body. By doing this, they moved their center of
mass closer to the center of their bodies, allowing for even
more spins while airborne.
