Sports physiologist Mike Meyers, also seen on Frontiers, helps Whisper and other competitors improve their rodeo performances. In this segment, you observed the motion and physics of throwing a rope. When loops of rope are spun overhead, several forces interact. First, the arm generates a force to maintain the lasso's movement and shape of the loop. To keep the loop suspended in air, the upward force must at least equal the weight of the rope itself or the loop would fall.
Centripetal force pulls the rope loop toward the center of rotation and maintains the loop's shape.
In perfecting her loop, Whisper learns about these forces firsthand. The following activity allows you to investigate and calculate centripetal force. In contrast to the rodeo loop, your gear will apply the force near the center of the spin. Thread the free end of the string through a section of straw. Thread the string through several small washers.