The Physics of the BMX Triple Backflip

There's a common question that students have been asking about math classes since the beginning of time, and it goes something like this: When will I ever use any of this knowledge in real life?

We get it. As you sit in school learning about, say, geometry, it can be hard to see any application for subjects like math or science outside of the classroom. It can feel like the kind of thing that's only useful to help get you to graduation. Are we getting warmer here?

But the truth is that math is everywhere you look -- even in the world of extreme sports.

Don't believe it? Well, check out this super-cool video of BMX superfreak Jed Mildon doing the first-ever triple backflip on a bike. Then, read the article that follows to see how physics (and geometry, and calculus, and fractions, and good old-fashioned counting) help us understand how such a jump is even possible.

Don't try the bike-jumping at home, but feel free to try the math stuff all you want. It really is everywhere that you look.

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