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Sport, Science and the Body
Sport is applied physics and physiology, performed at speed by people not thinking about either.
About this topic
Behind almost every sporting technique is a mechanism that can be explained: a spinning ball curves because it drags air around itself unevenly, a diver spins faster by pulling in, and a sprinter at altitude runs into thinner air that helps over 100 metres and hurts over 10,000. These questions cover the physics and physiology, including why records continue to fall when human bodies have not changed — the answer being mostly equipment, surfaces, technique and the size of the population competing.
Questions & answers
Sport, Science and the Body: all 10 questions and answers
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
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1A spinning ball curves in flight because of what?
- A Air temperature
- B The Magnus effect, where spin creates uneven air pressure Correct
- C Its weight shifting
- D Wind alone
Answer: B. The Magnus effect, where spin creates uneven air pressure
Why: Air is dragged round with the spinning surface, moving faster on one side, and the pressure difference pushes the ball sideways.
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2A diver spins faster by pulling their limbs in because of what?
- A Conservation of angular momentum Correct
- B Reduced air resistance only
- C Increased muscle force
- D Gravity changing
Answer: A. Conservation of angular momentum
Why: Reducing the spread of mass around the axis means rotation must speed up to conserve momentum. Skaters use the same principle.
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3Competing at high altitude helps most in which events?
- A Marathons
- B Long-distance swimming
- C Endurance cycling
- D Short sprints and jumps Correct
Answer: D. Short sprints and jumps
Why: Thinner air means less drag, which aids brief explosive efforts. The same thin air reduces oxygen delivery in endurance events.
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4Why do sports records keep improving?
- A Measurement is less strict
- B Events have got shorter
- C Equipment, surfaces, technique, nutrition and a larger talent pool Correct
- D Human physiology is evolving quickly
Answer: C. Equipment, surfaces, technique, nutrition and a larger talent pool
Why: Bodies have not changed measurably in a century. Almost all improvement comes from everything around the athlete.
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5A dimpled golf ball travels further than a smooth one because the dimples do what?
- A Improve grip on the club
- B Reduce drag by controlling airflow around the ball Correct
- C Make it lighter
- D Increase its spin only
Answer: B. Reduce drag by controlling airflow around the ball
Why: The dimples trip the airflow into a turbulent layer that clings to the surface longer, shrinking the low-pressure wake behind it.
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6"Lactic acid causes next-day muscle soreness" is what?
- A A myth; soreness comes from microscopic damage and inflammation Correct
- B Correct
- C Only true for runners
- D Only true at altitude
Answer: A. A myth; soreness comes from microscopic damage and inflammation
Why: Lactate clears within about an hour of exercise, well before delayed soreness appears, and is a usable fuel rather than a waste product.
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7VO2 max measures what?
- A Lung volume
- B Heart size
- C Muscle mass
- D The maximum rate at which the body can use oxygen Correct
Answer: D. The maximum rate at which the body can use oxygen
Why: It sets a ceiling on sustained aerobic performance. The limit is usually the heart's pumping capacity rather than the lungs.
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8Why is a marathon run at a steady pace rather than sprinting and resting?
- A Sprinting is not allowed
- B It looks better
- C Steady effort uses fuel far more efficiently Correct
- D Rules require it
Answer: C. Steady effort uses fuel far more efficiently
Why: Repeated hard efforts run down glycogen quickly and produce a metabolic cost that is not recovered by walking.
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9A tailwind above a set limit invalidates a sprint record because what?
- A Runners cannot breathe
- B It gives a measurable, unfair advantage Correct
- C It damages the track
- D It affects timing equipment
Answer: B. It gives a measurable, unfair advantage
Why: The limit in athletics is two metres per second, measured during the race.
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10Carbon-fibre racing prosthetics are controversial because what?
- A Whether they give an advantage is genuinely unsettled Correct
- B They are unsafe
- C They are heavier than legs
- D They are banned everywhere
Answer: A. Whether they give an advantage is genuinely unsettled
Why: Studies have reached different conclusions depending on what is measured, and governing bodies have changed position more than once.
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