As I write this article, the Paris Summer Olympics of 2024 have just come to an end. Athletes from around the world have demonstrated what seemed almost superhuman abilities. And physics is at the heart of everything. Describing the physics of all Olympic sports would require a full volume of Physics Review – at least.
On the athletics field, Newton’s laws reign supreme. As sprinters sets off, they push hard against the starting blocks, and Newton’s third law ensures that the blocks push back on them (1). High jumpers curve their bodies so that their centre of gravity travels below the bar (2).
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