Is it possible to calculate how much force is exerted on the ground and shoe midsole by your body while you run?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter midiya
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Force Ground
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the forces exerted on the ground and shoe midsole by a runner's body, exploring the physics involved in running and the impact of midsole material and size on running speed. Participants consider both theoretical and experimental approaches to understanding these forces.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the force exerted on the ground while running is more than just body weight, as additional muscular force is involved.
  • Another participant proposes a method to measure force using an electronic scale, but questions whether this approach captures the complexity of the situation.
  • A participant introduces an equation relating total force input and output, but acknowledges uncertainty about its correctness.
  • There is a discussion about whether the project qualifies as schoolwork, with some participants asserting that it does.
  • Participants emphasize the need for the original poster to show their work and reasoning behind their equations to receive meaningful assistance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether the project is considered homework and the requirements for providing assistance. There is no consensus on the correctness of the proposed equation or the best approach to measure the forces involved.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the need for detailed work to be shown, indicating that assumptions and definitions are critical to the discussion. The complexity of measuring forces in running and the influence of midsole characteristics remain unresolved.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to students and researchers in physics, sports science, and engineering, particularly those exploring biomechanics and the physics of motion.

midiya
Messages
3
Reaction score
2
I believe it is not only about weight because you still push into the ground while you run, so it's gotta be more than that. I thought it could be calculated by a simple electronic scale experiment like you will push on them with your foot and collect the reading, however, it seems to be more than that or even nothing of it. For my research, I need to find out whether the material and size of the midsole affect your speed while running from a physics point of view, if you all have any ideas on how I can do that please feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Welcome to PF. :smile:

What have you found so far with your searching? I did a simple Google search on Physics of Running and got lots of hits. The first one looks to have lots of info you can read through:

https://www.real-world-physics-problems.com/physics-of-running.html

Also, is this question for your schoolwork? If so, I can move your thread to the schoolwork forums for you.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Vanadium 50
I came up with an equation that total force input on the ground is your total muscular force minus how much force it took to squish the midsole, and total force output from the ground is the same things but added up, probably wrong

It is for my extended essay (4000 research paper, necessary part of IBDP curriculum, but is not considered homework
 
midiya said:
is not considered homework
By whom?
 
by everyone, it is a project we have to complete by the end of the course
 
A project is schoolwork. Arguing that this does not belong in the homework / schoolwork forms will not get you very far,

In those forums, there is a template to remind you to show your work, but no matter where it is posted, as @berkeman said, you need to show your work. We are not going to do your work for you. And "I came up with an equation" is not showing your work. What equation? Where did it come from? Why did you select it? What have you done to determine if it is correct or not? That is showing your work.
 
Moving your thread to the schoolwork forums for you now. And as V50 says, we need to see your detailed work in order to provide you our tutorial assistance.
 
I guess he lost interest.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
I guess he lost interest.
No, no, he's just very busy reading through all the websites that I suggested. That simple search yielded a *lot* of information... :wink:
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • · Replies 35 ·
2
Replies
35
Views
4K
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
3K