The Summer 2012 Olympics are just starting in London. There is a lot of science involved in the events and we will examine a few in the mission this week.
To get to the Olympics, you need to know how your body works and moves. Your mission this week is a Body Challenge from the United Kingdom. Challenge yourself to see if you can do the things shown in the pictures. Ask your science buddy to do them with you! Were any of them difficult for you to do? Did you have to practice any of them in order to do them? Keep track of this on your Mission Report.
The balance beam is an event in the Olympics. Try an experiment to check your balance.
The balance beam is an event in the Olympics. Try an experiment to check your balance.
- Stand on both feet in the middle of the room.
- Try to balance for 30 seconds.
- Pickup one foot and stand like a crane. Do not use anything to help you balance. Can you balance this way for 30 seconds?
- Try the other foot. Can you balance just as well on your right foot as on your left foot
- Keeping both feet on the floor. Just like you started with above. Close both eyes and try to balance for 30 seconds. Compare the difficulty of the two tasks. Was it easier or hard to keep your balance with your eyes closed?
- Try it standing on only one leg with your eyes closed! What did you learn about your balance?
- Make your own balance beam out of a measuring stick or some tape on the floor. Can you walk along that line and keep your balance? Try it! How many times do you have to practice to get it just right? Does it matter how fast you move across the beam?
Don't forget to keep a record of what you did in your Mission Report. Share what you learned with a comment below and earn Brain Power Points!
From NSF Science of the Summer Olympics
If you are interested in more of the science behind the Olympics, you can watch as few of these videos with your Science Buddy. Go to the Science of the Summer Olympics website. You will find a series of videos all about the engineering involved in the olympics.