“You have to do the opposite of what people expect. How else will you surprise them?" -Victor from the Japanese anime Yuri on Ice. As the quote describes, sometimes to learn and appreciate something more you have to do the unexpected. This chance to explore one of my favorite sports through physics and to connect to even more things I like, like animation and personal anecdotes in an essay, was one of the funnest experiences and by far the most unexpected. This was the beginning of my discovery of figure skating and I thought: what is the most unexpected thing than to start with the description of an anime Yuri on Ice is an anime that debuted in 2016 about the sport of figure skating, not only introduced it in a new light for me, but when my favorite character said those words I was entranced by the sport. The phrase may not be intended as a description of figure skating, but for countless people it was what it was. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu or the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team Nathan Chen both contributed to my love of figure skating as he leaped and twirled through the air defying what I thought was scientifically impossible. Figure skating is simply a winter Olympic sport that combines rotations and jumps in the air with several imaginative names such as double or triple Axel, Salchow, Toe loop and Lutz. These are the most common jumps or names you may hear, but just because they are common does not mean they are easy nor can they be explained with just basic techniques. To truly understand the beauty or complexity of figure skating, the science of physics can be applied not only to illustrate the effect or impact of jumps, but also to entertain the idea that for the brevity of a moment humans they could defy gravity. 5 or more physics concepts that changed my understanding of figure skating: Speed ​​in physics is a vector quantity that combines the amount of speed in a given direction. In figure skating, these directions are vertical and horizontal. When a skater jumps, vertical speed is affected by gravity, so the skater eventually hits the ground but continues to move at a constant horizontal speed afterward. According to Brad Orr, a physics professor at the University of Michigan, these two speeds coexist independently hence the possibility for a pair of skaters to move and one to be launched into the air and caught in the same place where the second partner skated horizontally . Gravity is a concept not only in physics but in multiple sciences. However, it plays an important role in skating because when skaters perform lifts or jumps, they eventually hit the ground or fall due to the force of gravity. However, when they spin several times in the air, they defy gravity just a moment longer, which is dangerous and at the same time graceful thanks to training and this is where the charm comes from. A parabola projectile occurs when skaters jump and spin in an arc that may resemble a parabola. They become projectiles or moving both vertically and horizontally. Another concept this brings to mind is the friction needed to maintain balance between the skates and the ground which allows the skater to slow down if they are going at a faster speed. However, when they spin, they are off the ground and have almost no friction. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get an essay.