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Wheels
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Skateboarding Episode 102
  
Skateboards
 Chuck
and Jake spend all their spare time skateboarding and wanted to
discover more about their favorite sport.
Question
How does wheel size affect skateboard performance?
Investigation
Chuck and Jake performed speed and maneuverability tests on their
boards, using 50 mm wheels and 60 mm wheels. Each boy dropped down
a halfpipe, coasted on the flat for 15 meters, and recording the
time. Then, they set up a slalom course of empty soda bottles, and
recorded the number of bottles they knocked down.
Results
| |
Coast
time |
Slalom
bottles knocked over |
| name |
50
mm wheels |
60
mm wheels |
50
mm wheels |
60
mm wheels |
| Chuck |
2.3
sec. |
2.4
sec. |
2 |
0 |
| Jake |
2.4
sec. |
2.4
sec. |
2 |
3 |
|
Conclusion
Chuck and Jake concluded that wheel size was not a factor in their speed test, but it made a big difference in their maneuverability test.
Motocross
Motocross racers Tamera and Tara love the thrill of a breathtaking
jump and wanted to learn more about nailing a safe landing.
Question
How should I position my body to land the perfect jump?
Investigation
The girls tried three body positions: leaning back, leaning forward
and staying centered.
Conclusion
Tamera and Tara found that keeping their bodies centered over the bike so their weight was equally distributed gave them the best landing during the race.
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