07/20/2012

Getting High: Physics of the Fosbury Flop

 

The world record for high jump–the event in which a person hurdles himself over a horizontal bar–is just over 8 feet. That’s like leaping over a stop sign, and clearing it by a foot. Jesus Dapena, of Indiana University, has studied the high jump for 30 years, filming athletes to understand exactly how they produce the force required to clear the bar.

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Jesus Dapena

Jesus Dapena is a Professor for the Department of Kinesiology with Indiana University. He is based in Bloomington, Indiana.