| MadSci Network: Physics |
Reply:
| How is physics related to waterskiing? |
As you figured, waterskiing depends on a lot of physics. I know there are many books about the physics of everyday things, one of which may be helpful. Other than that, I don't have a good reference for you. I can give you some pointers about what to think about, though.
Probably the most interesting thing is how you stay up on the top of the water when skiing. Obviously going fast has a lot to do with it! The areas to look at are the speed the water can get out of the way. When the skiis (or the skiboat) are going fast enough, the water can't move out of the way fast enough (look under surface tension).
About tipping over, the key there is the stability of the person on the skiis. When the skiis are further apart, the support is wider and so it is harder to tip over. The way physics talks about this is in terms of torque and moment of inertia. The wider the skis are, the higher the moment of inertia, so the more the torque which is required to unbalance the skier. The cost of the added stability is the energy it takes to ski with the skis widely separated, which can tire you out quickly!
-Greg
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