B-Walt

The Physics Behind the Air To Fakie When skateboarding their are many different types of tricks to be done off and on the ground. No matter what the trick is though in any situation, a handful of physics concepts can be applied to describe what is happening and how and why it is happening. This is especially true in vert or transitional skating, all tranny skating starts with the most basic of tricks though, and then branch off from that simple concept. The trick being done above is that basic trick when learning arial tricks. This trick is known as a air to fakie, or when a skater rides up to the lip of a half-pipe or quarter-pipe (in this case quarter pipe) pops of the lip, goes straight up in the air, and comes back the same way. If done correctly a skater should exit and enter the quarter pipe in one smooth motion.

It sounds quite simple but their are actually many physics concepts being applied while all this action and movement is taking place. To be broad and general though, a couple of the main physics ideas that are taking place above are: gravity, acceleration, velocity, transfer of momentum and projectile motion.

Acceleration- As I (above) approach the ramp, I want to start accelerating or decelerating before I reach the bottom of the ramp. In this case I wanted to accelerate before entering the ramp. This is because the faster you go, the more vertical distance one will travel, and prior before entering the ramp my velocity was to slow. Therefore I would not be reaching the height I would want to reach. This is the reason for accelerating.

Velocity- Once I reach around the velocity I want, I stop pushing and stop myself from accelerating any more. At this point I am traveling at a constant velocity, this needs to be done at least ten feet before the ramp so that I have to to set up my feet on the board to get ready to pop the board into the air and start my vertical travel.

Momentum also plays a roll- Momentum plays a roll in that all 150lbs of me is moving in one direct and want to keep moving in that same direction. As I enter the bottom of the ramp my horizontal momentum is converted into vertical momentum. Once this happens gravity takes over from there.

Gravity also aids when doing this trick- In that when I pop off the top of the ramp I begin to travel upwards and out of the ramp. The reason I don't keep on going is because of gravity, gravity is the force that slows me down as well as brings me back to the ramp. At the top of my vertical arc I stop for a second. Then as soon as gravity comes into affect I start to fall back towards the ramp with increasing velocity of 9.8m/s until I reach the ramp.

If everything I have done is correct I will enter the ramp right where I came out. I will leave the ramp with about the same velocity that I entered the ramp with, and rolling away. The energy transfer when all of this is taking place is that my energy goes from horizontal Kinetic to vertical kinetic, then at the top of my path I have potential energy, as I start to fall my energy is transferred back into kinetic as I return to horizontal motion.

All of this falls under the idea of projectile motion,and conservation of energy. Without any of these principles in the world around us non of this would be possible for me.

Elert, Glen. "Acceleration." //- The Physics Hypertextbook//. Midwood High School, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. Serway, Raymond A., and Jerry S. Faughn. //Holt Physics//. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2002. Print. //B-Walt//. Upper Merion, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. ||
 * < Walt, Brian J. "Air To Fakie." //http://peterkaphysics4-5.wikispaces.com///