Bungee jumping is what is considered an extreme sport. It is basically jumping off a platform with an elastic cord tied to the jumper. As the cord is stretched resistance slows the person before they reach the ground. Energy stored in the cord is reduced incrementally as the jumper is oscillated by the rebounding properties of the cord until they come to a state of equilibrium.
Hooke’s Law of Elasticity
One of the most useful physics laws that can be used to explain bungee jumping is Hooke’s Law of Elasticity. Robert Hooke was a British physicist from Great Britain. He lived during the 17th century and created a law that explained the restoring force of a spring.
Hooke’s Law of Elasticity can be expressed as F = -kx. In this formula F represents the amount of force required to restore elastic material to its position of initial equilibrium, k represents the spring constant, which is a constant force and x represents the distance between the fully stretched spring to the initial position of equilibrium.
Potential Energy
The principles of the bungee jumping sport rests in the potential energy that is stored in the spring or the elastic cord used in the sport. The potential energy of the cord can be expressed as U = .5kx^2. This formula will always produce a positive result, as opposed to the Hooke’s Law of Elasticity which has the potential to have oscillating results on both positive and negative sides of a graph.
Oscillation
Oscillation is another physical characteristic of the bungee jumping experience. Oscillation of the jumper can be expressed with the frequency formula: v = 1/(2 X pie) X the square root of (k/m). This formula can be graphed to demonstrate the position of the bungee jumper over time.
Developing a Bungee Jumping Science Fair Project
Students who are interested in creating a science fair project around the extreme sport of bungee jumping have several options. Their first option is to look at how the manipulation of various elements of this sport can increase the intensity of the sport or that can increase the safety of this sport.
Another option that students have is to examine how the forces produced by this sport impact the human body. They can see if the force is harmful or if leads to pleasurable brain chemistry reactions. Students can also examine how the body’s vital statistics change during different stages of the spring’s oscillation frequency.
In order to create an interesting project students will need to be creative. They will also need to push the wow factors with their project. There are many ways to do this including producing simulations of bungee jumping, utilizing video technology to collect data and creating a series of graphics that illustrate the targeted factors are impacted by the experience of bungee jumping.
Conclusion
Bungee jumping can be both terrifying and exciting at the same time. The thrill that it produces is created by the death defying acts that take place while participating in this sport. Physics can be used to explain how death is defied and how forces impact the person’s mind and body.
I am an education specialist who has a personal goal to get as many kids as possible interested in science. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/what-is-the-physics-of-bungee-jumping-1623177.html
http://www.super-science-fair-projects.com/fuel-cell-car-experiments-science-kit.html
