Getting a GripNoe MitchellAward: Top 100
School: trinity school I asked my friend to do a standing broad jump while wearing two different types of shoes to blend two things I love: physics and track. On her left foot she is wearing a regular running shoe, and on her right foot she has a special type of shoe worn by track athletes called spikes. The shoes get their name from the metal spikes that are inserted into the middle and front part of the shoe. I had my teammate try to put an even amount of force into each foot when jumping. This allows us to see the striking difference between the two shoes. The regular running shoes slip more on the gravel because an athlete can only push back on the gravel as hard as the gravel pushes forward on the athlete. Therefore, the force that she exerts results in a larger spray of gravel. The spikes dig through the loose gravel into the solid base, an effect that is amplified on an engineered track. The special material of a track lets spikes dig in further to give an athlete extra force parallel to the surface. This adds further security while wearing spikes and gives more "grip". So much so that even when Olympic sprinters like Usain Bolt push with a force five times their body weight, the spikes still propel them forward without slipping. Spikes give runners a better grip on the track, ensuring that none of our energy is wasted. 
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