Introduction
A bike is usually referred to as a bicycle and is a conveyance machine. Most bikes have two (rear and front) wheels mounted on a frame. The frame is equipped with steering handlebars, a seat, and 2 pedals. Millions of people across the globe rely on bicycles for a variety of purposes (Cohen et al. 5). Individuals ride bicycles to exercise, travel, deliver items, engage in events, or simply enjoy cycling. A topic as broad and sophisticated as bicycle physics is hard to fathom. Even though the quantity of components is relatively minimal, the interactive principles that govern their operation in a bike are complex. Stability on a bike is critical since it depends on dynamic interactions between the bike and the rider. While riding a bicycle may appear simple to some, it is rather intricate. Both the rider and the bike are critical components of the cycling operation, which is more science than art.
How Does a Bicycle Operate?
The rider sits in the seat and sets their heels on the pedals. The pedals are linked to the rear wheel by a chain. When the rider applies pressure to the pedals, the rear wheel rotates. The force generated by the rotating back wheel causes the front tire to roll in response, propelling the bicycle ahead. By twisting the handlebars or tilting, the rider continues steering. Bicycles may be equipped with either coaster or manual brakes. On a bicycle equipped with coaster brakes, the rider comes to a complete stop by pedaling backward. Hand brakes are activated using levers mounted on the handlebars. When a cyclist squeezes the levers, the pads press firmly against the wheels rims, and the bicycle comes to a halt. Additionally, some bicycles feature gears or speeds and shifting or switching them enables the cyclist to maintain a constant pedaling pace across different terrains (Clanet et al. 4). High gears make pedaling more difficult yet allow the bike to accelerate. When cycling on smooth, level ground, the user may transfer the bike into a higher gear. Lower gears make cycling simpler but cause the bicycle to slow down. When climbing a hill, a cyclist can shift into a lower gear.
Bike cycling changes the potential energy generated by riders’ bodies to kinetic energy, which represents a moving body that is proportional to both its speed and mass. When action is performed on an object such as a bike by applying a net force, it accelerates and amasses kinetic energy. As much as 90% of a cyclist’s energy and propulsion may be transformed into kinetic energy on a bike (Marqués 13). This energy is then utilized to push the bike onward. The cyclist’s balance and velocity assist in maintaining the bike’s stability as it travels down a path. The effort generated by pedaling enables a bike’s gears to spin the rear wheel. The tire utilizes friction to grasp the surface and propel the bike forward as the rear wheel turns.
What Force is Required to Cycle?
The rider must move the pedals to cycle the bicycle up a hill. There are two pedals, but only one may be used at a time. The pedals are countervailed by 180 degrees, so only one can be pressed down at a time. The rider propels the bike forward by pressing down on the pedals, which allows the cyclist to hasten (Hernández 6). Additionally, the rider will continue advancing until hindered by opposing imbalanced energy, such as the friction force on the bicycle wheels, when the bike comes to a complete halt. Cycling involves a variety of forces, including gravitational force on the cyclist and the bike, the force of normal, the force of wind resistance, and the force of kinetic friction between the bicycle and the road. Power in the nature of kinetic energy is necessary to counteract these forces and propel a rider at a certain speed. Centripetal acceleration may be compensated by leaning into a turn while riding a bicycle. The centripetal acceleration would be too great without the inward lean, and a turn would be impossible.
Which Newton Law is Applicable to Cycling?
Newton’s first Law of Inertia holds that a stationary item or one in constant motion seeks to maintain that condition until it experiences opposing external energy. The inertia rule is pertinent to cycling since the cyclist is constantly in motion when riding. The Law of Inertia is also demonstrated when the biker begins to pedal from a standstill (Cohen et al. 4). The action is connected to the idea of inertia due to the cyclist’s imbalanced force applied to the bike pedals while stationary. Consequently, the bicycle gains momentum and begins to move.
Newton’s Second Law asserts that the acceleration of an item is proportional to its mass and the resultant force that it experiences. Newton’s Second Law applies in cycling because the rider generates an active force on the bike, which permits the biker to begin motion. Accordingly, the force applied to the bicycle exceeds the frictional force generated by wind resistance and the bike wheels, creating a net force on the bicycle (Hernández 7). The net force on the bike indicates that it is accelerating, as acceleration is equivalent to the net force.
Newton’s Third law affirms an equivalent and opposite reaction energy for every force. Newton’s Third Law is relevant in riding because the applied force of the bike going clockwise generates an equal but opposing response from the ground in a counterclockwise direction (Cohen et al. 6). Attributable to the ground’s reaction, the bike’s tires move forward, enabling the rider to speed onward
Balance
There is an instinct to incline to the right to compensate for the leanness of the cyclist’s weight. However, by shifting the top of the body to the right, riders cause the bike to lean further to the left, according to Newton’s third law. Balance is maintained on a moving bike using an entirely different method. By moving the handlebars slightly to the right or left, cyclists may transmit some of the front wheel’s rotation (angular momentum) to the bike, causing it to rotate about its long axis on the path it turns. Thus, the rider can prevent the bike’s inclination to tip to one side or the other without being trapped in a vicious spiral of action and response. Some bikes have a lock that secures the handlebars to deter thieves (Hernández 4). When positioned in the forward-facing orientation, such a bike may be moved by a walking individual, but it cannot be cycled due to its inability to balance.
Complex and messy equations are required to analyze bicycle stability. An intuitive explanation is impossible to come up with because of the numerous physical interactions between the different bicycle components (particularly the front and rear tires, steering column, and bike frame). Bicycle stability can only be fully appreciated by first doing a comprehensive dynamics study and then basing knowledge on the findings of that analysis. When riding a bicycle, stability is built-in; even riderless bicycles remain stable when given enough forward momentum (Cohen et al. 6). There has been a great deal of research on what makes a bicycle stable. The trail is an essential factor in maintaining the stability of a bicycle. There are several reasons why conventional bikes are more stable when cycling if they have a positive trail, which means that a bicycle’s steering axis projection is on the fore of the front tire’s contact point with the ground. The bike is less stable and more prone to topple over if its protrusion is placed behind the point of contact (negative trail).
Gravity
Newton’s first law states that an object’s motion, in this example, a bicycle, is determined by the forces acting on it. Specific forces are constant, while others are dependent on the rider’s activities. All things are always subject to gravity’s attraction force, which propels them downward at a sustained 9.8 m/s2 unless negated by an equivalent force in the opposite direction (Marqués 14). Gravity is generally overcome by normal force when an item sits on the ground or a surface. The normal force is the perpendicular contact energy that a surface exerts on any item lying on it.
Gravity is the attraction between things and the earth’s core. It is constantly there and working for or against a person. Gravity is the main factor in it being more difficult to ride a bicycle up a hill than going down one. Gravity works against cyclists as they ascend a hill. A gravitational force pushes riders and bicycles in the opposite direction of their desired direction. As the cyclist ascends the slope, the pull of gravity becomes stronger (Marqués 14). Due to Newton’s second rule that Force = Mass x Gravity, an enormous pull must be delivered to the pedals to counteract the opposing attraction of gravity.
Conclusion
Throughout the world, millions of people rely on bicycles for various purposes. Individuals ride bicycles for exercise, transportation, delivery, participation in events, and simply for fun. Both the rider and the bike are critical components of the operation, which is more scientific than artistic. The rear wheel rotates when the rider applies pressure to the pedals. The force generated by the rotating back wheel propels the bicycle forward. Bicycles convert cyclists’ bodies’ potential energy to kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is a quantity proportional to both the speed and mass of a moving body. Approximately 90% of the rider’s energy is transformed into kinetic energy on a bicycle. Cycling involves a variety of forces, including gravity’s pull on the cyclist and the bike, normal force, wind resistance, and kinetic friction between the bicycle and the road. Newton’s Third Law applies to cycling because the employed force of the bike traveling clockwise generates a counterclockwise response from the ground. Due to Newton’s second law, Force = Mass x Gravity, a greater energy should be applied to the pedals to overcome gravity’s opposing pull.
Works Cited
Clanet, Claude, et al. “Cycling Speeds in Crosswinds.” Physical Review Fluids, vol. 6, no.12, 2021, pp. 1-10.
Cohen, Caroline, et al. “Physics of Road Cycling and the Three Jerseys Problem.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 914, 2021, pp. 1-13.
Hernández, González. “Bicycle Physics as a Field Activity.” Journal of Physics, vol. 1286. no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-9.
Marqués, Ricardo. An Analysis of the Role of Cycling in Sustainable Urban Mobility: The Importance of the Bicycle. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020.