Physics of skiing

High school (ages 12+)
Sports & Games

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/physics-of-skiing

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What happens to a skier's energy when they start sliding down a hill?Gravity turns the skier's potential energy into kinetic energy, making them faster. Some energy is lost to friction and air resistance, so they don't reach the maximum speed.
2. How does friction help a skier glide and turn?The friction between the ski base and the snow slows the skier, allowing them to glide. When the skier presses the edges into the snow, friction increases and helps them turn or stop.

Newton's Laws of Motion: Fundamental principles describing the relationship between force, mass, and motion, governing acceleration and inertia.
Conservation of Energy: The principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
Coefficient of Kinetic Friction: A dimensionless scalar value representing the ratio of the force of kinetic friction to the normal force between two surfaces.
Aerodynamic Drag: The force resisting the motion of an object through a fluid, such as air, due to its interaction with the fluid.