Gymnastics use physics every day. As a gymnast, I never realized how much physics was involved in every move, every backhand flip, every mistake on the bars. If gymnasts were physicists (or at least knew more about physics), they would be better equipped to handle the difficult aspects of gymnastics. As a gymnast, I learned the movements needed to perform the tricks I was working on, and as a coach, I taught the same to others. I never really understood why a particular angle gave me a better backhand jump or why the angle at which I hit a springboard really mattered when performing a jump. We're going to explore some of the different gymnastics machines and some of the physical laws involved in them. We won't even scratch the surface of the different ways physics can explain gymnastics. Newton's Laws Newton's laws can be found in the textbook Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Serway. Newton's First Law An object remains at rest or in motion unless an external force acts on it. Newton's Second Law The acceleration of a body or object is directly proportional to the net force acting on the body or object and is inversely proportional to its mass. F = ma Newton's Third Law For every action force, there is an equal and opposite reaction force.The GroundThere are many aspects of physics present on the ground. The gymnast performs on a floor that "measures 12 x 12 meters, with an additional safety edge of 1 meter. The performance surface must have surface elasticity, to allow power during takeoff and softness when landing" . (FIG) The elasticity of the floor mat surface gives the gymnast additional bounce which increases her momentum. Let's look at a basic tumbling run. Newton's three laws can be seen in this one sequence. We can see Newton's first law before the gymnast takes even one step. Until she takes a step, the gymnast is at rest. When ready to tumble, the gymnast applies force. A gymnast takes a running start approaching a tumbling race, and as she moves across the floor, she increases her momentum. This is a demonstration of Newton's second law.