Science of the Winter Games

Courtesy: National Science Foundation and NBC-Learn

How does angular momentum help figure skater Rachael Flatt achieve the perfect triple toe loop? How does elastic collision allow three-time Olympic hockey player Julie Chu to convert a game-winning slapshot? How do Newton's Three Laws of Motion propel short track speed skater J.R. Celski to the finish line?

NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBC News, has teamed up with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to produce a 16-part video series focusing on the science behind individual Olympic events, including Downhill and Aerial Skiing, Speed Skating and Figure Skating, Curling and Hockey, and Ski Jumping, Bobsledding and Snowboarding.

This groundbreaking project uses the global spotlight of the Olympics to make science more accessible and more interesting to students, by showing how science helps athletes fulfill the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius -- Swifter, Higher, Stronger.

Select a video by clicking on a topic below