Understanding the Physics of Competitive Diving

What happens to the angular velocity of competitive divers when they pull their limbs in and curl up their bodies?

a. Moment of inertia
b. Angular acceleration
c. Angular momentum
d. Angular velocity
Final answer:

Answer:

When competitive divers pull their limbs in and curl up their bodies, their moment of inertia decreases, resulting in an increase in their angular velocity. Therefore, the correct option is c. Angular momentum.

When competitive divers pull their limbs in and curl up their bodies, their moment of inertia decreases, resulting in an increase in their angular velocity. This is due to the conservation of angular momentum, which states that as a body decreases its moment of inertia, its angular velocity increases.

On the other hand, when divers fully extend their limbs just before entering the water, their moment of inertia increases, leading to a decrease in their angular velocity. This change in angular velocity allows divers to control their rotation and enter the water straight down.

Therefore, curling up and extending their limbs have opposite effects on the divers' angular velocities. Curling up increases the angular velocity, whereas extending their limbs decreases it.