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About the resource
Bobsleigh skeleton is an extreme winter sport where athletes slide headfirst down an ice covered track on a sled, just centimetres above the surface. The goal is to reach the bottom of the track in the fastest time.
Athlete or Machine explores the science, technology, and mathematics behind the successful partnership between the athlete and engineering. Students will apply their problem-solving and design skills to tackle this big question.
This resource includes a teacher guide with activities and student support sheets included.
The sport of bobsleigh skeleton
The bob skeleton event involves sliding head first on a sled down an ice covered track. The sled has no controls and athletes travel at high speeds just a few centimetres from the icy and unforgiving surface of the track.
Bob skeleton tracks are about 1500 m long and can have a vertical drop of over 150 m. Tracks can have up to 20 curves and athletes can experience five times the force of gravity as they hurtle towards the bottom.
Britain has one of the top international teams and has won more than its fair share of competitions and medals.
Britain’s Bob Skeleton Winners
- Amy Williams MBE Olympic Gold Medallist, Vancouver 2010
- Kristan Bromley World Champion 2008 World Cup Series Champion 2008 & 2004 European Champion 2008, 2005 & 2004
- Shelley Rudman Olympic Silver Medallist, Turin 2006 World Cup Silver Medallist 2009 & 2010 European Champion 2009 2nd World Cup 2011 Series Overall
- Adam Pengilly World Championship Silver Medallist 2009
The challenge
Your challenge is to answer and justify the big question: Athlete or machine? Which is more important in the bob skeleton event?
The following list identifies the factors that might influence the speed an athlete and their bob skeleton sled can travel down a track:
- Weight
- The athlete’s shape
- The athlete’s position
- Aerodynamic lift
- Steering
- Clothing and equipment
- Starting
- Corners
- Ergonomics (how the body fits a product)
- Track incline (the slope down the length of the track)
- Friction on the ice Aerodynamic drag (air resistance)
- Tuning the characteristics of the skeleton
- Material choice
- Sled runners
Tasks
- Complete ACTIVITY 1 to investigate the factors that influence the sport of bob skeleton 2.
- Complete ACTIVITY 2 which explains how to present your answer to the big question
- Complete ACTIVITY 3 to see if your answer to the big question matches that of bob skeleton World Champion and engineer, Kristan Bromley
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