Discussion Of Relationship Between Snow Boarding And Mathematics (Essay Sample)

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Snowboarding and Mathematics
Introduction
Skateboarding is a form of sport which is conducted mainly during winter seasons. It is preferred by several individuals all over the earth and is related to skiing, surfing, and wake boarding. At the center of all the types lies the key need of maintaining equilibrium and central balance. The scope of mathematical application in this subject is wide and involves psychics also. Physics is a subject which closely related to mathematics due to persistent calculations.
Normally the vertical drop in a mountain is used to determine the slope in a mountain and is applied in evaluating the amount of distance covered by snowboarder. Mathematics assists in finding calculation of the distance to be covered by a snowboarder from mountain apex to the base (Núñez 660). Subtraction in mathematics is used to determine the base elevation. Example in calculation is illustrated in the calculation below:
Question: Perth has 2500 elevation and the town lies at 500 meters. To calculate vertical drop, 2500-500=2000meters. Hence the vertical drop of Perth is 2000meters.
Mathematics is also used in determining the lift threshold of mountain. In this perspective, mathematics is used to calculate the total weight of people that can ride in chair lifts hourly. The total weight of all people is calculated using addition and multiplication to determine number of total hours the lift operates (Broussard, Sierra & Kyle 7). This aspect is demonstrated in the example below:
If Perth contains lifting capacity of 40,000 per hour. What is the capacity of the lift for two hours? The result for the question above is achieved by multiplying 40,000 by 2=80,000. Therefore the lift capacity for two hours is 80,000. When starting snowboarding, it is important to determine the slope of the mountain between two points labeled A and B. The ratio present in the slope illustrates the slope (vertical rise) in reference to horizontal run in line portion. Considering two points X and Y which exists in a mountain slope, mathematics provides a model for obtaining the results through this formula: (y2-y1)/(x2-x1). In this case combination of two mathematical formulas is applied to obtain the results.
In snowboarding, riding on the appropriate speed is important for one to evade losing control and when one is moving at slow speed the snowboarder will end up at wrong destination. Mathematics is applied to obtain the speed through division of distance and time. Velocity is calculated mathematically by dividing the displacement with time Displacement is the change of location from starting point to the finishing point; while time is how long it takes to cover the distance while using a snow board.
It is also important for an individual to pick the board with right size which is fit for the body. This is important when a person want to move at the right speed. Mathematics is applied in calculations for determining the appropriate size of snow board (Núñez 660). There are two formulas applied to determine proportional size of snow board. The first formula is called shoulder to ear when a snowboarder will physically determine if the board lies between shoulder and ear. If the criterion is met then the snowboard is right for the user. For persons who does not know their exact height, the same aspect can be determined through multiplication of height value after measure by size of board which is 2.54 by 0.88.Therefore, length of snow board= height*2.54*0.88.
Mathematics is also applied when constructing the snowboard jump structure which is triangular in shape. Considering the following dimensions, base=X, height for the jump=Y and side length of Z; using Pythagoras theorem (X2 + Y2=C2). When the snowboard jump has been proved to be satisfying the formula mentioned then it will be perfect for cool tricks (Moye 7). Mathematical calculation illustrating this fact is demonstrated in the picture below:
When a snowboarder neglects application of mathematics to come up with right figures and sizes during a session, the person will definitely end up sustaining injuries from falling accident. The snow boarder will overshoot and have a flat landing or tumble over (Broussard, Sierra & Kyle 7). The figure below shows how to determine angle of elevation when constructing a ramp for skate boarding:
Considering the illustrations in the figure above, tangent x is obtained by diving the opposite side length of the triangle with the adjacent side length. Apply figures to the formula: tangent x= 2/6. Therefore the tangent of x is 0.33 which is approximately 18 degrees.
It is evident that snowboarder who spend long practice hours comes up with perfect movements that enable them win in competitions. Sport such as snowboarding depends on concepts of momentum, gravity, force and friction. During downhill snowboarding, the athletes utilize Newton’s second law of motion where force is calculated by mul...