Miles
4th Grade Neville
Olympic Pole Vault
The origin of the pole vault is pretty unique. It originated in Germany and the poles used to be made of ash and hickory. They still have steel spikes that stick into the ground. Pole vault entered the Olympics around the mid nineteenth century at Athens Greece. Poles used to be a way to travel over swampy land and canals in places around the North Sea, like the Netherlands and England. There are some strict rules in pole vault. Tape on the fingers is strictly prohibited only on wrists. There are only 3 attempts to clear the bar as well, but if the athletes pole breaks or the wind knocks over the bar they get granted another try. Players can touch the bar on the standards it just can’t touch the mat/ground . You can't climb up the pole when you're off the ground.The equipment is special in the pole vault. Modern pole vaulting equipment is much different than earlier times. Firstly, poles are now made of fiberglass and carbon fiber but still have steel spikes. Players need a pole bag to carry all your equipment. Players need the right shoes. They also need a thick mat to catch them when they're falling down. Players need chalk to put on the top of there pole for grip.
Newton's first law of motion is that an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted to by a balanced force and an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted to by an unbalanced force. Grab two people and a desk then each person get on different sides of the desk then push in equal strength it will stay still because there is equal then if push different strengths it will go one way or another. Balanced forces in Pole Vault are when you are running before you put your pole down, the pole is balanced because it’s not moving up and down. It is staying in place. The bar on the standards is also a balanced force. It stays balanced until your body hits it off. Unbalanced forces are when the pole bends and throws you in the air and when you are flying through the air. When the mat stops you, that is an unbalanced force because the contact force of the mat stops your muscle force and gravitational force.
Newton's second law of motion states that acceleration (gaining speed) happens when a force acts on a mass ( amount of a object) or riding your bike is a good example you need to use your leg muscles ( force) to make the bike ( the mass) to move it (acceleration) or pole vault which I am going to talk about today. The pole is the force it uses spring force where if you bend something it tries to get back in its shape. The person is the mass and the pole accelerates the person into the air. People who do the Pole Vault want more and less mass. They want a balance because they need more mass to bend the pole more. So it throws you higher but you want less Mass so it's easier for you to go over the bar that's why they want a balance of mass.
Newton's third law of motion states that in every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. An action is when a force acts on a mass. In the pole vault when the athlete puts its mass on a pole the reaction is the pole pulls back and throws the athlete in the air. and if the athlete hits the mat the mat has nowhere to go so it pushes back up. This is how Newton's law apply in pole vault.