The distance they jump/the speed at which they fall seems like it would be impossible to land without falling flat on your face. There is obviously some cool physics going on, but please.
In: Mathematics
Throw a ball directly at a wall and see how far it travels afterwards, i.e. how much of its momentum is conserved
Now throw a ball at a 45deg angle and see how far it travels afterwards, i.e. how much of its momentum is conserved
Now throw a ball at the smallest angle you can and see how far it travels afterwards, i.e. how much of its momentum is conserved
This is the basic idea. Ski jumpers aren’t just landing ANYWHERE, they are landing in a landing zone that is built at an angle to make the landing easier.
Same thing with mountain bike tricks and all of that other X games stuff – when you land at an angle like that, much of your momentum is conserved as FORWARD momentum in the direction you were (and still are) travelling.
The landing being on snow helps some (relative to concrete), and the large skis also help absorb some of the impact (they “spread” out the force of landing somewhat)
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