SCIENCE IN OLYMPICS

Do you know the composition of a GOLD medal?

•Gold and silver medals are 92.5% silver.•Gold medals must be plated with at least 6 grams of gold.•All Olympic medals must be at least 3 mm thick and at least 60 mm in diameter

Science helps in gender test in Olympics(The center of the above Ms.Semenya was disqualified based on gender test)

•Gender Test is the most controversial among all obstacles of an athlete.•Tests like using hair patterns, chromosomes, individual genes and other factors in their long-running attempts to distinguish men from women were now discarded.•For the London Games, officials are going by a new set of rules that shifts the focus from DNA to testosterone, a hormone that aids muscle development, endurance and speed.

Will Oscar Pistorius’ Prosthetic Legs Give Him an Unfair Advantage at the 2012 Olympic Games?

With the advantage of science, Mr.Oscar was able to qualify for Olympics just before three weeks of the mega event.

ULTRA MODERN SWIM WEARS1. Modern swimwear has developed to the point where the fabric and designs are actually faster through

the water than human skin.2. In the last Olympics it was Speedo’s LZR Racer bodysuit ,developed in association with NASA and the

Australian Institute of Sport the space age swimsuit featured an elastene-nylon and polyurethane material especially woven to make thehuman body as hydrodynamic as a shark's belly.

3. Plus the LZR Racer expelled water and improved oxygen flow to the muscles. Later on, FINA banned all swimsuits made with polyurethane from the pool.

BOLT OR BOLT FROM THE BLUE1. Regular exercise helps boost the immune system2. Common sports injuries include muscle cramps, muscle pulls, back strains, shin

splints, tennis elbow (tendonitis), sprained ankles and plantar fasciitis (foot pain).3. Dope testing helps to disqualify those who benefit by improving performance

unethically.

PHYSICS & CHEMISTRY IN SPORTS1. The string tension of most tennis racquets is around 50 to 70 pounds (220 to

310 newtons). With lower tension a tennis racquet produces less control and more power while higher tension produces more control and less power.

2. Athletes at the Olympic Games have to be careful how much coffee they drink. The caffeine in coffee is a banned substance because it can enhance performance. One or two cups are fine but they can go over the limit with more than five.

ELECTRONICS IN TAEKWONDOIn Taekwondo a new scoring system will be introduced in time for the 2012 London Olympics. The system will incorporate an electronic body protector suit and video replay for contentious decisions. The new padded suit kits competitors out in face and body protectors allowing everyone to kick the hell out of each other and score lots of points

The Biomechanics Behind Figure SkatingSnowboarders and ice skaters glide on a thin layer of water as their skates and boards heat the snow beneath them.1.There are several types of energy involved in a figure skating jump. The first type of energy comes from the muscles. In a jump, the skater pushes down on the ice, and thus the ice pushes an equal and opposite (upward) force on the skater. The skater converts mechanical potential energy through muscle power to kinetic energy. 2.As the skater sores higher, gravity slows him/her down, until the skater reaches a peak in which there is no more upward movement. Throughout this phase, kinetic energy is being converted into potential gravitational energy. As the skater falls, the potential energy gets converted back to kinetic energy, and the skater hits the ground with full kinetic energy (i.e. hard!).

MAY INDIAN SPORTSPERSONS BRING MORE LAUREL TO OUR NATION

S.VAIDYANAATH, CLASS IV ‘B’