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Essay about The Physics of Efficient Running

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Running is a natural form of human locomotion. To many, running is an essential aspect of most sports and is also a simple way that requires little to get exercise anywhere. But because many people have adapted to improper forms of running over time, numerous physical injuries are the results. With the help of understanding the physics behind running, people can learn to run in such a way that expends less energy from the body. Keeping physics in mind may also lead to less injuries and effortless running. Remember, physics can be very helpful when running!

External Forces When Running

According to mechanical physics, a force is an effect that may cause a body to accelerate. Also as stated in Isaac Newton’s second law of motion, …show more content…

Gravity

Any body with mass has gravity and any two bodies with mass will have a gravitational pull on each other. In general, the magnitude of the force of gravity between two bodies is given as :

F = GMm / d

where G is a gravitational constant; M is the mass of one body; m is the mass of the second body; and d is the distance between the center of mass of each body.

On Earth, this magnitude of gravity is approximately 9.81 m/s and is always pulling vertically down toward the Earth on the runner. The reason the gravity vector is always vertically down and not up toward the runner is because the mass of Earth is so massive compared to the runner. Thus, the runner will feel more of a pull from Earth than Earth feels from the runner.

Normal Force

When running, it is important to not fall through whatever makes up the running path or area. The force responsible for this is called the normal force. When a runner’s foot comes in contact with the ground, the ground exerts a force upward preventing the runner to fall through. The normal force always points up toward a body from the other object or body it is in contact with.

Friction

The purpose of running is to be able to change positions in the horizontal direction quickly. This would be difficult to achieve with the absence of friction. When a runner’s foot comes in contact with the ground, friction occurs between the two objects.

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