Developed in 1976, the ollie is one of the most basic skateboarding tricks.  To perform an ollie, skaters jump over obstacles onto curbs and ramps. The coolest thing is that the skateboard seems glued to the skater’s sneakers in mid-air. Now, as scientist we know there’s only one thing that makes this possible – good ol’ physics. Let’s explore...

The physics behind this trick is called rotation around multiple axes. Confused? Don’t be – it’s actually quite easy… Three forces act on the skateboard just before the skater jumps: the weight of the skater, the force of gravity on the skateboard and the force of the ground pushing up on the skateboard.

When these three forces balance out to zero, the skateboard rolls along at a constant speed. The skater then also needs to crouch down in order to create a low center of mass which is essential to jumping high.

Tony Hawk beware – we’ve got the brains to surpass your expertise!

Source: www.kidzworld.com

• Visit the National Skateboarding Association of South Africa (NSA) for some local skating info
• Send your brain down the half-pipe – visit the Skateboard Science Exploratorium
• Try your hand at this skateboard game