Free Videos Explore the Science behind the Olympics

NBC Learn, an educational part of NBC news has teamed up with the National Science Foundation to produce a 16-part video series on the science behind the Olympic Games. Some of the scientific principles explored in this video series are:

1. How does angular momentum help figure skater Rachael Flatt achieve the perfect triple toe loop?
2. How does elastic collision allow three-time Olympic hockey player Julie Chu to convert a game-winning slapshot?
3. How do Newton’s Three Laws of Motion propel short track speed skater J.R. Celski to the finish line?

The athlete’s movements are captured by a high-speed camera called the Phantom Cam that captures up to 1,500 frames per second which allows students to see frame-by-frame illustrations of Newton’s Three Laws of Motion.

The videos illustrate how scientific principles apply to competitive sports. The series is narrated by Lester Holt, and is available free of charge to educators on the NBC Learn website.

NBC Learn - http://www.nbclearn.com/portal/site/learn
Olympic Games 16-part videos - http://www.nbclearn.com/portal/site/learn

What a great way to bring real-world experiences into the classroom to bring science to life for the students.

To read the entire article, please go to:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/01/24/free-videos-explore-the-science-behind-the-olympics/