Olympic Pole Vaulting
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The pole vault is an Olympic event that demands a very high level of athletic ability. Nevertheless, it illustrates very simply the law of conservation of energy. The vaulter tries to achieve maximum kinetic energy by sprinting down the runway. At the end of the approach, the flexible fiberglass pole is planted in the box at the base of the pit. The kinetic energy gained in the sprint is converted into potential energy stored by elastic deformation of the pole. This, in turn, is converted into gravitational potential energy as the vaulter attempts to clear the crossbar.
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Contributed by: S. M. Blinder (June 2008)
Open content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
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"Olympic Pole Vaulting"
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/OlympicPoleVaulting/
Wolfram Demonstrations Project
Published: June 26 2008