Exercise Takes Shape, Square [INNO-VENTIONS] Part 2
Posted on Wed, Jul 04, 2012 @ 03:06 AM
AND THE ANSWER IS
First, let's review. (It's been a while.) We asked for readers in the last INNOVENTION POST to weigh in on whether this is "for real" or "really fake"?
A few brave souls jumped in:
JARV SAID:
"This is fake. As crazy as a workout it would be, there would be no balance or momentum to keep you on. Plus, it just looks fake.
EDITOR REPLY:
We agree. Crazy indeed - crazy cool!
EVA WROTE IN:
"Definitely FAKE. As you would ride - both wheels would be flat at the same time. A jolting ride, if you could ride it at all."
EDITOR:
Have you tried NYC streets, Eva? My tires have gone flat just from thinking about NY potholes! :)
KARENANN MUSED:
"I hope it's a fake or else you would be in for one strange and pretty rough ride!"
EDITOR:
Strange indeed, KarenAnn. But, as for a rough ride.....it turns out...
.
YES, THIS IS... REAL!
...And from what we understand it is uniquely designed to provide a
smooth ride, albeit a
short one. The secret is the shape of the road over which the wheels travel over. It's called a
catenary.
As described by the Macalester College website (the birthplace of this vehicle):
In 1997 mathematics professor Stan Wagon constructed a square wheel bike that rolls smoothly over a road made out of inverted catenaries...the ride is so smooth that one cannot tell one is not riding a round-wheel bike. (Source: Macalester.edu)
Still skeptical? There's video proof featuring our new friend in action.
Thankfully, through science and mathematics, we can better understand how the wheels of this bike require a certain road for a smooth ride.
.
...We also come to appreciate how shape truly changes everything.
.
..
Square wheels? You need the right road.
(Human knees.....well, you get the picture.)
.
TO UNDERSTAND why shape matters when it comes to your workouts,
click here for the findings of a research study showing how shape matters when it comes to knee health.
Another example
...and...a CAR WITH SQUARE WHEELS!!
Stay Healthy and Go Strong!
Robert Barcia, Editor
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