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Simple Models of Human Locomotion
Abstract
The human body is a complex structure, but our understanding of its movements is greately enhanced by extremely simple mathematical models. A model of walking shows why we have to break into a run at speeds above 3 meters per second, and why the critical speed is lower for children and on the moon. A model of running jumps show why long jumpers run up at a fast sprinting speed, but high jumpers run up much more slowly. Finally, a model od standing jumps explains why athletes can jump higher by using a countermovement than from a static squatting position. The body is represented in these models as a small number of rigid segments connected by hinge joints, powered by muscles with realistic physiological properties.
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
