Another very important part of physics in boarding involves the vertical part of skateboarding. While gravity limits the skaters to certain aspects in certain areas, it also enables skaters to launch many feet into the air.

This is Physics in the Half pipe.

            The principle of conservation of energy states that after any process of change in position the sum of the initial potential and kinetic energies must equal the sum of the final potential and kinetic energies.

Energy transfer inside a half pipe.

1) All potential energy

2) Potential becoming Kinetic

3) All Kinetic energy

4) Kinetic becoming Potential

5) All Potential

            If a skater drops in on one end of a half pipe and goes higher and higher at each end, energy must be added to the system of the ramp and himself. In order for the skater to travel higher each turn work must be done.

E final =     E initial

KE final + PE final = KE initial + PE initial

1/2mv2 + mgh = 1/2mv2 + mgh + Wapp

 E final  = Energy that is totaled at the end of a system           E initial = Energy at the beginning of the system

KE final = Total Kinetic energy of the end of a system        KE initial = Total Kinetic energy at the beginning of a   system                                                    system.

PE final = Total Potential energy of the end of a system       PE initial = Total Potential energy at the beginning of a system                                                  system.

 H = Height of the ramp                                                       M = Mass of the skater

 R = Ramp radius                                                                  A = Air of the skater

 S = Height of the skater             (Terms may vary depending on how to determine the energy change of the system.)

            The radius of the ramp is where work is done the most. This is the specific area where gravity is used to add energy.

            Now, one might ask... What exactly is the work done?

            The work applied is the main function of angular momentum. In order to produce work heading down the ramp, the skater must crouch into the vertical and stands up near the bottom. This is the opposite when producing work heading up the ramp. The skater must crouch into the bottom and and rise near the vertical. The objective to produce more speed is to travel in a tighter radius then the main curvature of the initial ramp.

            The linear momentum must increase in order to counter the decreased radius. The linear momentum of the skater must increase as the skater's mass is constant.