How to Calculate Horizontal Velocity in Curlers

Curling is a popular winter sport which involves pushing granite stones, called rocks, across a sheet of ice onto a circular target at the other end of the ice sheet in order to accumulate points. The location of the rocks can be used for different strategic purposes; because of this, the rocks may have to be released at different velocities, which is, in part, determined by the velocity of the person pushing the rock, or curler. Calculating the horizontal velocity of the curler can be done in a few short steps.

Things You'll Need

  • Stopwatch
  • Tape measure
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Instructions

    • 1

      Note the position where the curler starts before moving along the ice. Use the stopwatch to time how long the curler travels along the ice. Note the position of the rock when you stop timing. As an example, assume the curler was traveling along the ice for 6 seconds.

    • 2

      Use the tape measure to find the total distance the curler traveled along the ice. For example, assume the curler traveled 36 feet.

    • 3

      Divide the horizontal distance travelled by the curler by the elapsed time the curler travelled. In our example, dividing 36 feet by the 6 seconds it took to travel that distance gives 6 feet per second (ft/s), which is the horizontal velocity of the curler.