Skin and brakes (or, the scooter of PAIN)
I've been back on my scooter for a month or two now. I broke down and bought a new motor controller since the old one, even after I got it working, would get hot enough to melt plastic.
Anyway... earlier this week, I was heading down a hill when the handlebars came loose from the headset. Doing about 18 mph, I found myself riding a two-wheel skateboard, with the front wheel free to pivot in any direction it wanted to. Things were going great till I hit the brakes. I managed to slow to about 10 mph before front wheel decided to pivot hard right. The scooter went right and promptly stopped. I flew over the handlebar, landed on my forearm and got flipped feet-over-head onto my head as my neck and back made a disgusting crunching sound. I then landed on my back and slid into some brush at the edge of the paved path I was travelling on.
For the most part, I am okay and none of the electronics I was carrying broke. The skin abrasions are healing nicely, and my neck is mostly fully functional again. For awhile, it was difficult to keep my head up, and lifting it from a lying down position was impossible.
Observation 1: Skin does not make a good brake material.
Observation 2: Helmets can make the difference between walking away and going to the hospital.
Observation 3: Converting kinetic energy to heat using your body hurts.
-Science Content-
If I were doing the same thing at 30 mph, I would probably have required hospitalization and have broken bones. While 30 mph is only three times faster than what I was doing when I flipped, there is nine times the amount of energy to deal with. To put this into perspective: if all of the energy in my motion at the time of the fall were turned into electrical energy, it could light a 100W light bulb for almost 8 seconds. At 30 mph, that energy could keep the same 100W bulb lit for a minute and ten seconds.
But, the energy of my body in motion isn't used for lighting light bulbs. Instead, it's bled off through various means. There's friction between my clothes and skin and the ground. That's not the end of it though. There's also a good deal of energy spent stretching muscles and connective tissue, tearing flesh, and of course, bending and compressing bone.
Those who refuse to wear a seat belt and believe they will be able to walk away from being thrown from a car at 30 mph with minor bumps and scrapes should re-evaluate that assumption.
Oh, by the way, had I been traveling at 70 mph, i would have enough energy to power a 100W light bulb for six and a half minutes, or run a microwave for about 40 seconds -- enough to make yummy nachos.
Anyway... earlier this week, I was heading down a hill when the handlebars came loose from the headset. Doing about 18 mph, I found myself riding a two-wheel skateboard, with the front wheel free to pivot in any direction it wanted to. Things were going great till I hit the brakes. I managed to slow to about 10 mph before front wheel decided to pivot hard right. The scooter went right and promptly stopped. I flew over the handlebar, landed on my forearm and got flipped feet-over-head onto my head as my neck and back made a disgusting crunching sound. I then landed on my back and slid into some brush at the edge of the paved path I was travelling on.
For the most part, I am okay and none of the electronics I was carrying broke. The skin abrasions are healing nicely, and my neck is mostly fully functional again. For awhile, it was difficult to keep my head up, and lifting it from a lying down position was impossible.
Observation 1: Skin does not make a good brake material.
Observation 2: Helmets can make the difference between walking away and going to the hospital.
Observation 3: Converting kinetic energy to heat using your body hurts.
-Science Content-
If I were doing the same thing at 30 mph, I would probably have required hospitalization and have broken bones. While 30 mph is only three times faster than what I was doing when I flipped, there is nine times the amount of energy to deal with. To put this into perspective: if all of the energy in my motion at the time of the fall were turned into electrical energy, it could light a 100W light bulb for almost 8 seconds. At 30 mph, that energy could keep the same 100W bulb lit for a minute and ten seconds.
But, the energy of my body in motion isn't used for lighting light bulbs. Instead, it's bled off through various means. There's friction between my clothes and skin and the ground. That's not the end of it though. There's also a good deal of energy spent stretching muscles and connective tissue, tearing flesh, and of course, bending and compressing bone.
Those who refuse to wear a seat belt and believe they will be able to walk away from being thrown from a car at 30 mph with minor bumps and scrapes should re-evaluate that assumption.
Oh, by the way, had I been traveling at 70 mph, i would have enough energy to power a 100W light bulb for six and a half minutes, or run a microwave for about 40 seconds -- enough to make yummy nachos.