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Rationale
These
measurements will take the primary data on position as a function
of time and make use of the definitions of velocity and acceleration in
terms of derivatives of these parameters to explore the motion of the bicycle-rider
system. This system will be treated in the approximation of a point mass,
and its motion will be assumed to take place in a straight line (a course
in the parking area).
The course may not be horizontal, in which case
there will be a gravitational component to the force acting on the system
parallel to the ground. Measurements made with the same rider running the course
in opposite directions should provide information about this force component.
The
air resistance (drag) of the system can be changed if the rider
alters the riding position from upright to crouched, and an even larger change
can be effected by adding a flat plate to the handlebars. By running the
course with and without this plate the importance of drag to system performance
can be estimated.
Monitoring of the riders heart rate may permit
data obtained in the Human Powerplant laboratory to be used to estimate the
work output of a rider. This can be compared to an estimate made from the present
experiments. |
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