CRAZY TRICK: Snowboarder Marcus Kleveland on a Big Air run in Norway.

DANIEL TENGS/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

STANDARDS:

NGSS: Core Idea: PS2.A 

CCSS: Literacy in Science: 4 

TEKS: 6.8A, 8.6B, I.4E, P.6D

Catching Big Air

Find out how physics makes the new high-flying snowboarding event at the 2018 Winter Olympics possible

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What factors might affect how well a snowboarder pulls off a trick?

This month, you’ll get the chance to see snowboarders soar like never before at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Extreme athletes can now participate in a new event called “Big Air.” It requires riders to launch themselves down a 49 meter (160 foot)-long ramp and off a jump to perform multiple flips and spins in midair.

A panel of six judges evaluates each competitor’s performance for difficulty, execution, and whether he or she landed under control and in the designated landing area. Pulling off the sickest tricks requires snowboarders to know how to use forces, like the downward pull of gravity, to their advantage.

This month, you’ll get the chance to see snowboarders soar like never before. There’s a new event for extreme athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It’s called “Big Air.” Riders launch themselves down a 49 meter (160 foot)-long ramp and off a jump. Then they do multiple flips and spins in midair.

A panel of six judges watches each rider’s performance. They rate how hard the moves were and how well the rider carried them out. They also see if the rider landed under control and in the marked landing area. To pull off the sickest tricks, snowboarders must know how to use forces to help them. For example, they use the downward pull of gravity.

“Having a greater knowledge of physics can help a coach or athlete make more informed decisions to maximize performance,” says Brennan Metzler, a member of the American Association of Snowboard Instructors in Colorado.

Science World spoke with Metzler to find out more about the physics behind big air.

“Having a greater knowledge of physics can help a coach or athlete make more informed decisions to maximize performance,” says Brennan Metzler. He’s a member of the American Association of Snowboard Instructors in Colorado.

Science World spoke with Metzler. He explained more about the physics behind big air.

CORE QUESTION: How might the height and weight of a snowboarder affect the forces involved in a Big Air run?

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