Hey…I have to do an independent study project for my physics class, but am at a loss for anything to do. I mentioned something along the lines of determining the best methods to improve one’s athleticism (speed/strength/etc.) and he said that would be OK as long as I could relate it to physics, which shouldn’t be too hard to do. If anybody has any specific suggestions it’d be greatly appreciated…thanks.
Here ya go Mr. Basketball:
The first law of thermodynamics says that energy is ALWAYS conserved and that energy can neither be created nor destroyed.
If that is the case, what happens to the energy that you apparently expend when you lift a weight and how would you measure the inputs and outputs?
How about measuring the force that is exerted when two football/hockey players hit each other. You could also do energy dispersion of grass v. ice v. hardwood floor. What about something on the amount of force it takes to throw something (like a shotput) instead of just lifting it. Or you could have someone tossing a medicine ball instead of just lifting it.
Just some ideas.
Thanks guys for the replies…I was thinking more along the lines of something related to the biomechanics of the body while in competition (basketball) and which training methods would be most effective to increase performance…you’ve given some good ideas, thanks…any other suggestions would be appreciated.
I did this for a physics class once, did force curves, using trig and geometry as well as the force of gravity, etc to figure out what kind of force was needed from each muscle in order to complete the big lifts, although this took a lot of physiology work too, because I didn’t just use the big muscles, I had all the stabilizers involved as well. Depending on what else you’re interested in, physics wise, let me know if you need some help, I TA physics at college now (I’m a physics major), so I have tons of lab ideas and experiments we’ve done that are quick and easy set ups.