Snow Sport Experiment Complements Graph Books!

Fun snow skiing science experiments can be conducted in the classroom or at home! The experiment below, featuring graphs of lab equipment on artificial slopes, illustrates concepts in books from Schottenbauer Publishing. 


Snow Sport Experiment

Equipment

• Block Toy(s)
• Small Toy Car(s) (Matchbox or Hot Wheels)
• Stiff Clipboards (Plastic, Cardboard, Metal)
• Cutting Board(s) (Plastic, Wood)
• Bendable Cardboard
• Protractor
• Any Book(s)
• Postal Scale

Procedure

Make an artificial slope with the clipboard, cutting board, and/or cardboard, by setting one end up on book(s) and the other end on a table or desk. Use a protractor to estimate the angle, if the surface is not curved. Weigh each of the toys, and compare surface area of contact with the slope. One by one, send the toys down the slope, and watch the projectile motion. Watch the block and/or toys fall off the edge of the desk, onto a mat or carpet to avoid damage to the toys or floor. Compare performance of several objects under several conditions.


Discussion Questions

1. Describe the following in words:
1. How do the trajectories (position, velocity, & acceleration) of the objects compare?
2. How do wheels affect the trajectory (as opposed to a flat block surface)?
3. How does mass affect the trajectory?
4. How does surface area affect trajectory?
2. Compare the results above with graphs and data from The Science of Snow Sports.
1. Do any of the objects have similar properties?
2. Do any of the surfaces have similar properties?
3. Do any of the trajectories resemble a graph from the book series?
3. Compare the results above with data and videos from real snow sports.
1. How are real snow sport events similar? 
2. How are real snow sport events different?

Additional Information

Schottenbauer Publishing

Free Education Resources

The Geometry of Snow Sports

Geometry is essential for snow sports. Take a moment to write down a few ways in which geometry affects the precision of the sport. 

Discussion Questions

1. What data is necessary to collect in order to understand the role of geometry in snow sports? 
2. What spatial perspectives and/or mathematical planes are important for precision? 

The cover of The Geometry of Winter Olympic Sports, to the right above, features a cross-country skier in action. 

Discussion Questions

1. What angles can be measured on the diagram, in order to understand the accuracy of technique?  
2. Is any essential information missing from the picture? What is necessary in order to measure that information?

Geometry diagrams featuring snow sports are available in the following book from Schottenbauer Publishing:

Geometry Workbooks

• The Geometry of Winter Olympic Sports

Additional Information

Schottenbauer Publishing

Free Education Resources

Free YouTube Videos Demonstrate Snow Sport Science Models in Lab

Two new YouTube videos from Schottenbauer Publishing demonstrate the science of snow sports in laboratory conditions. Coordinated with graphs from Volume 4 of The Science of Snow Sports, these videos demonstrate the motion of various wood blocks, a cylinder, a rubber ball, and plastic skier models on a High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic surface. Both natural inclines and curved surfaces are modeled.

Additional data on snow sports can be found in the following science lab manuals from Schottenbauer Publishing:

Graphs & Data for Science Lab: Multi-Volume Series

• The Science of Snow Sports 
• Volume 1: Force, Acceleration, & Video Analysis (Outdoor Snow & Lab)
• Volume 2: Force & Video Analysis (Plastic Models in Lab)
• Volume 3: Force & Acceleration (Ice-Topped Snow)
• Volume 4: Video Analysis (Models on Curved Surfaces in Lab)

Anthologies of 28 Graphs

• The Science of Winter Olympic Sports 

Schottenbauer Publishing also features other books on sport science, including:

Graphs & Data for Science Lab: Multi-Volume Series

• The Science of Athletic Training
• The Science of Exercise Equipment 
• The Science of Gymnastics 
• The Science of Yoga, Pilates, & Ballet

  Anthologies of 28 Graphs

• The Science of Physical Fitness
• The Science of Gymnastics
• The Science of Yoga
• The Science of Dance & Ballet

Additional Information

Schottenbauer Publishing

Free Education Resources

New! The Science of Snow Sports: Volume 4

A new volume of The Science of Snow Sports has arrived! Volume 4 contains graphs from laboratory conditions. The volume compares motion of different objects on curved surfaces which are similar to ski slopes. The main surfaces incline a mildly-abraded piece of HDPE plastic, molded into sloping and U-shaped inclines, and a curved piece of metal sheeting molded into a ski jump. Graphs show the motion of a model skier on skis and a snowboard, plus a variety of shapes of wood blocks, a cylinder, and a rubber ball, as they travel down these slopes.

These data can be used for lesson plans by teachers and parents as supplements for traditional classes, as well as for special school projects, after-school enrichment activities, homeschool, and special science camps.

A sample graph from The Science of Snow Sports: Volume 4 is shown below:

Discussion Questions

1. How far does the skier travel in the vertical plane? 
2. How far does the skier travel in the horizontal plane?
3. Draw a sketch of the curved incline on which the skier travels.
4. Describe the forces on the skier.
5. Calculate the maximum velocity of the skier.
6. What event occurs towards the end of the trajectory? Why?
7. Describe the entire motion of the skier, using a full paragraph.
8. The mass of the skier is 35.93 g and the mass of the skis are 4.60 g. The dimensions of the skis in cm are 7.1 x 1.3 x 0.2.  What additional calculations can be made with these values?

Additional graphs similar to those above can be found in the following science lab manuals from Schottenbauer Publishing:

Graphs & Data for Science Lab: Multi-Volume Series

• The Science of Snow Sports 
• Volume 1: Force, Acceleration, & Video Analysis (Outdoor Snow & Lab)
• Volume 2: Force & Video Analysis (Plastic Models in Lab)
• Volume 3: Force & Acceleration (Ice-Topped Snow)
• Volume 4: Video Analysis (Models on Curved Surfaces in Lab)

Anthologies of 28 Graphs

• The Science of Winter Olympic Sports 

Additional Information

Schottenbauer Publishing

Free Education Resources

Using Laboratory Models to Study Snow Sports

Laboratory models have the possibility of simplifying the science of snow sports. The following graphs excerpted from The Science of Snow Sports: Volume 2 provide samples of straight and curved motion of a model skier on plastic slopes. The flat slope is HDPE Plastic, and the curved slope is Pinypon Ski.

Discussion Questions for Graph 1

1. How high is the model skier at the beginning of the trajectory? At the end?
2. What is the length of the slope? Draw a model of the slope.
3. What is the velocity of the skier at the end of the trajectory?
4. Approximately how much mass does the model (skier plus skis) contain? Is it possible to obtain a precise estimate?
5. Is it possible to estimate the size of the skis? How large might the skis be?

 Discussion Questions for Graph 2

1. Describe the motion of the skier.
2. Is this slope different than the slope from the first graph? If so, how?
3. Describe the forces on the skier. How do the forces affect the motion?

 Discussion Questions for Graphs 3 & 4

1. One of these graphs shows the front view of the turn, and one shows the side view. Which graph corresponds to each view?
2. Compare these two graphs to Graphs 1 and 2. What are the main differences?
3. Why are these graphs not smooth? What happens to the skier in the region of irregularity?
4. What is the effect of the curve on the skier’s motion?

Additional graphs similar to those above can be found in the following science lab manuals from Schottenbauer Publishing:

Graphs & Data for Science Lab: Multi-Volume Series

• The Science of Snow Sports 
• Volume 1: Force, Acceleration, & Video Analysis 
• Volume 2: Force & Video Analysis 

Anthologies of 28 Graphs

• The Science of Winter Olympic Sports 

Additional Information

Schottenbauer Publishing

Free Education Resources