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The Rio 2016 Olympics brought a lot of excitement (especially for the state of Maryland who we can proudly say represented the U.S. well!) – and controversy – this year.
It also brings an opportunity to work some Olympics inspired STEM lessons into the classroom. Here are just a few of our favorite ideas:
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The science behind why an Olympic diving pool in Rio suddenly turned a swampy green (via Quartz)
According to the Rio 2016 Local Organizing Committee, the swampy green color of the Olympic diving pool was “due to a proliferation of algae caused by heat and lack of wind” in the venue.
When the chlorine level drops below the recommended 1-3 parts per million (ppm), which is the equivalent of 3-5 milligrams per liter of water, an algae bloom can occur.
Algae need to photosynthesize to grow, and the heat and sun in Brazil can burn off all the chlorine, essentially feeding the algae.
Other possible explanations include:
- The diving pool’s filter may not have been running long enough, and when water is still, an algae bloom becomes more probable
- Simply, bad water chemistry
Olympic Games Inspired Lesson: Measuring Velocity (via eGFI)
In this lesson, students learn how to make a graph to measure average velocity and calculate the mid-times for personal intervals of student runs, walks, and jogs.
Working in groups, one member walks, jogs, or runs in a straight-line path while attempting to maintain a constant velocity. The other group members time the runner along the path, and then record and graph the data of each run.
This lesson was written for grade levels 6-12. It will take about one or two class periods.
Want more Olympics inspired lessons for the classroom from eGFI? Try these:
- Ball Bounce Experiment (Grades 3-5)
- Pedal Power (Grades 3-8)
- Can Do Canoe (Grades 3-12)
Breaking down the physics behind Simone Biles’ gymnastics (via Quartz)
Ask your students to flip a pencil in the air without having it twist at all. It’s impossible, right?
This represents how gymnasts shouldn’t be able to keep their bodies so straight while flipping during floor routines. The smallest imprecision in the way a gymnast takes off from the mat could send her body twisting and turning.
But the world’s best gymnasts – like Simone Biles – stay almost perfectly straight.
Here’s an explanation of why from Quartz:
“When Biles launches off the mat, she pushes down with her feet, sending her body upwards. It takes a lot more work for heavier gymnasts to manage the same jumps. Biles benefits from having—like most shorter athletes—a muscular build while still weighing relatively little. In other words, Biles has the ideal body type for this kind of trick.
After Biles picks up velocity, she needs to direct all that speed toward her backflip. She needs to take off at the exact right angle, and then she needs to do some blink-of-the-eye adjustments in midair. It comes down to this: throughout the trick, Biles is making herself consistently shorter. She starts with her arms above her head, before moving them downward and then arching her back. In doing so, she can increase her velocity, meaning she’ll somersault faster than if she kept her body outstretched. That gives her time to complete two full flips.”
The physics behind this is very complicated. What really allows gymnasts like Biles to maintain such control is superhuman strength, which is precisely why she’s an Olympic medalist.
Are you planning on working any 2016 Summer Olympics inspired lessons into the start of the school year?
