An interplay of gravity, lift and drag allows athletes to soar astonishingly far through the air
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.
To produce lift, an object needs to be moving. As the object moves through the air, its surface collides with air particles and pushes these particles out of the path of the object. As air particles are pushed down, the object is pushed up according to Newton’s Third Law of motion which says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Air particles pushing an object upwards are what create lift.
For ski jumpers, the goal is to use careful body positioning to maximize lift while reducing drag as much as possible.Flying on skis Skiers start high up on a slope then ski downhill to generate speed. They minimize drag by crouching down and carefully steer to reduce friction between the skis and ramp. By the time they reach the end they can be going 60 miles per hour .
As drag reduces the speed of the skier, lift decreases and gravity continues to pull on the jumper. Athletes will begin to fall faster and faster until they land.
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