The sports and activities that surround them are full of physical phenomena which can be better understood and performed when we understand how these physical laws can be applied.

Next year will be the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016. Thinking about it, we prepared a series of posts explaining some of the physical aspects of the main Olympic sports. Check it out and stay inside for the 2016 Olympic Games!

Running

Considered one of the oldest physical exercises, the run is believed to have arisen from the need for primitive men to flee from danger or pursue their fighters.

Currently it is classified among one of the modalities of athletics, being able to have different distances, obstacles, relays, among others. Each one has its rules and of course different physical laws that can be applied. Today we will talk a little about the 200-meter run and how the acceleration happens..

The 200-meter run

In the 200-meter run, 8 competitors run 200m, dropping on the curve of the track, and winning who gets there first. After the start, the runners increase the pace gradually until they reach the maximum speed. From then on, it is necessary to maintain the maximum possible speed, which counts on ample movements of the arms.

As the start happens on a curve, what happens is that the centripetal force, which pulls the body to the center of the trajectory in a curvilinear or circular motion, acts like an elastic, which is elongated in the curve and then released on the line. Therefore, generally in the first 100 meters of the race the competitors present a speed below the final 100 meters. Another interesting point in this case is the position of the athlete’s body, which can not lean too much towards the inner side, as this loses the synchronism and consequently the speed.

The current record holder of the 200-meter run is Jamaican Usain Bolt, who in 2009 at the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany, broke the world record with 19sec19.

What did you think of the physical laws that apply in the race of 200 Metres? Follow our blog to learn about how physics applies in other sports.