Sunday, September 4, 2011

My scientific summer

This summer, every week-end my dad and I would go meet my mom at our cottage in Vermont, Lake Champlain. I took advantage of the opportunity and asked my uncle (also our neighbor) if he could take me water skiing. Every summer I usually go water skiing and this time I decided to try on one ski. I managed on the second try! 


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This is a picture of me water skiing

I found out that water skiing has something to do with science, because of gravity and density and a lot of other things!
For example, when you get in the water you sink, that's because you are denser than water. So you wear a life jacket which increases your buoyancy and allows you to float. When you are in the water with your skis on, you need to have the tip of your skis out of the water. So when the boat starts, it is pulling you forward and you are pushing against the ski with your weight to stand up. That is gravity. You are obviously not as strong as the boat so it pulls you forward but you are strong enough to stay straight and not fall forward. 

water skiing


For a skier to stand up and be pulled forward, the boat has to go at least 20 to 25 miles per hour in average. 
If the skier stays inside the wake and skies in a straight line, he is following the boat at the same speed. It he decides to turn and go out of the wake, he has to go faster than to boat. And the moment when the skier is going the fastest, is when he is out of the wake and the boat is turning 180 degrees (makes a U-turn). This is the part I like best!

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