What Is the Physics of Bungee Jumping?
Bungee jumping is what is considered an extreme sport. It is basically jumping off a platform with an elastic cord tied to the jumper. As the cord is stretched resistance slows the person before they reach the ground. Energy stored in the cord is reduced incrementally as the jumper is oscillated by the rebounding properties of the cord until they come to a state of equilibrium.
Hooke’s Law of Elasticity
One of the most useful physics laws that can be used to explain bungee jumping is Hooke’s Law of Elasticity. Robert Hooke was a British physicist from Great Britain. He lived during the 17th century and created a law that explained the restoring force of a spring.
Hooke’s Law of Elasticity can be expressed as F = -kx. In this formula F represents the amount of force required to restore elastic material to its position of initial equilibrium, k represents the spring constant, which is a constant force and x represents the distance between the fully stretched spring to the initial position of equilibrium.
Potential Energy
The principles of the bungee jumping sport rests in the potential energy that is stored in the spring or the elastic cord used in the sport. The potential energy of the cord can be expressed as U = .5kx^2. This formula will always produce a positive result, as opposed to the Hooke’s Law of Elasticity which has the potential to have oscillating results on both positive and negative sides of a graph.
Oscillation
Oscillation is another physical characteristic of the bungee jumping experience. Oscillation of the jumper can be expressed with the frequency formula: v = 1/(2 X pie) X the square root of (k/m). This formula can be graphed to demonstrate the position of the bungee jumper over time.
