megilleland
01-05-05, 05:27 PM
Just found this article on The Guardian newspaper (UK) website today
Einstein and BMX bikes to rebrand physics
Rebecca Holman
Wednesday January 5, 2005
Einstein year is being launched today at the Science Museum in London with the first performance of a BMX stunt dubbed the "Einstein flip".
The stunt was created by Cambridge physicist Helen Czerski in collaboration with professional BMX rider Ben Wallace. Ms Czerski claims the stunt is "pushing the boundaries of what it is humanly possible to do on a bike".
Mr Wallace, 18, a competitor in extreme sports events around the world, will launch off a 1.8m (6ft) high ramp and spin backwards through 360 degrees while simultaneously folding his bike underneath him in a move known to BMX devotees as a 'tabletop'.
At one point, onlookers should see him upside down, travelling at 15mph, with his head almost 4m off the floor.
Ms Czerski looked at the physics behind different stunts and used computer simulations to determine the limits of what would be physically possible in the manoeuvre. She drew on several theories for inspiration, including the conservation of angular momentum and Newton's laws of motion.
It is rumoured that Einstein was a keen cyclist who claimed his theory of relativity came to him while he was out riding his bike.
see complete article at
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1383125,00.html
Einstein and BMX bikes to rebrand physics
Rebecca Holman
Wednesday January 5, 2005
Einstein year is being launched today at the Science Museum in London with the first performance of a BMX stunt dubbed the "Einstein flip".
The stunt was created by Cambridge physicist Helen Czerski in collaboration with professional BMX rider Ben Wallace. Ms Czerski claims the stunt is "pushing the boundaries of what it is humanly possible to do on a bike".
Mr Wallace, 18, a competitor in extreme sports events around the world, will launch off a 1.8m (6ft) high ramp and spin backwards through 360 degrees while simultaneously folding his bike underneath him in a move known to BMX devotees as a 'tabletop'.
At one point, onlookers should see him upside down, travelling at 15mph, with his head almost 4m off the floor.
Ms Czerski looked at the physics behind different stunts and used computer simulations to determine the limits of what would be physically possible in the manoeuvre. She drew on several theories for inspiration, including the conservation of angular momentum and Newton's laws of motion.
It is rumoured that Einstein was a keen cyclist who claimed his theory of relativity came to him while he was out riding his bike.
see complete article at
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1383125,00.html