Before sitting down to write this paper, I made my way down to the local ice skating rink and sat there for a period of time. I observed each glide of the skating blade over the ice, the arm extension of the skater that leads him or her gracefully into a simple jump or a complex series of movements resulting in a breathtaking leap off the ice that ends with a dizzying series of mid air spins. They make it seem so effortless. Watching them makes me think that anybody can do what they are doing. But how do they do it? In reality, the movements we see are all a result of carefully studied and executed scientific calculations in the field of physics.
Figure skating is all about the complexity of body movements in relation to the height of their jumps. The higher the jump, the faster the rotation, the more complex the combination of the two movements, the more increase in jump height is produced in order to complete the proper revolution count per movement. Over the past 10 years, the sport has become all about complex jumps and how the human body can be rotated or raised in order to produce the astounding Physics results as evidenced by the Olympic caliber figure skaters.
In the singles discipline of figure skating, performing complex jumps is an important aspect of each skater’s program. Over the last ten years, the complexity of jumps performed by skaters has increased dramatically. For a skater to progress from a single, to a double, to a triple, and now even to a quadruple jump, he or she must either jump higher, rotate faster, or do some combination of the both. Typically as skaters progress from a single to triple jump, they jump higher and rotate faster in the air. The increase in jump height gives the skater more time to complete the required number of revolutions.
The formula for a skater’s success is often spelled out by their ability to master the rudiments of physics and executing it to near if not ultimate perfection. The most common physics formula used in the sport seem to have direct relations to Angular Momentum, Rotational Inertia, and Rotational Speed.
By definition, angular momentum is described as “an objects resistance to a change in rotation.” This force is known as torque and only changes motion once force is applied to it. Dominik Favre. in his Associated Content column described the whole process as follows:
Angular momentum is the product of the objects mass (weight) times its distance from the center times the velocity at which it orbits around the center.
Keeping that in mind, it is safe to assume that an ice figure skater oftentimes finds himself or herself pressing against the ice in order to produce a rotational spin. Such an action results in the production of angular momentum or torque.
According to the website The Physics of Everyday Stuff:
…rotational inertia increases as the square of the distance from the axis: if you double the distance of a mass from the axis of rotation, you quadruple the rotational inertia. This is why such a minor change such as a skater’s leg position has such a huge effect on her rotational speed.
Rotational Speed on the other hand, all depends upon rotational speed or angular velocity in order to completed one full rotational spin. Aside from the aforementioned jumps, Chemical Potential Energy, also known as muscle power, is use to gain speed. This is done by converting kinetic energy into gravitational potential energy.
Aside from the aforementioned laws of physics which everyone knows is often applied to figure skating principles, amateur and professional figure skaters must also contend with insuring that their horizontal speed is always up to par. Up to par in the sense that the figure skater will insure that the requirements for minimal height and rotation speed are met. Failure to meet the minimum standards will result in a break in the fluidity of the skater’s choreography.
One may wonder as to why such basic physical movements result in such complicated equations when performed on the ice. The rules indeed change for those who perform the actions on solid ground, and those who perform it over solid ice. It all boils down to atmosphere and years of experience.
Performing the movements on dry land prior to executing it over the ice results in a better understanding as to how Physics plays an important role in the execution of the figure skating movements. For it is only through the mastery of these Physics equations, in relation to figure skating, that the skater will be able to understand and muster up the strength to challenge him or herself to produce a series of well planned and executed moves.
So the next time you view a figure skating competition, or, if you are like me and oftentimes find yourself staring at the figure skaters practicing their movements between competitions, Remember that for every movement executed, science and physics produce the final result of their movements.
References
Favre, Dominik. “Scientific Complexity Of Figure Skating”. Associated Content. 2009. Web.
Knierman, Karen, & Rigby, Jane. “An Energetic Discussion Of Kinetic and Potential Energy”. The Physics of Figure Skating. 2003. Web.
“Figure Skating Spins”. The Physics Of Everyday Stuff. 2009.
“The Science Of Jumping And Rotating”. Physics & Biomechanics. 1998.