Fans of the Summer Olympics can't seem to get enough of American gymnast Simone
Biles. The 19-year-old, who has already snagged gold medals in events for the team, individual all-round and vault competitions, can jump, flip and twist in ways the average person likely never will. Biles may make it look easy, but between all the different events that gymnasts have to master — from balance beam to the vault for women, and the pommel horse to the rings for men — what's the most challenging apparatus, according to science?
The answer is complicated, experts say. Generally, the gymnastic events that have the simplest explanation in terms of physics tend to also be the ones where athletes push the limits of physics the most.
For example, the physics of the pommel horse, an apparatus that male gymnasts must tackle, is easy to understand, said Jonas Contakos, a gymnastics coach with a Ph.D. in kinesiology and a master's in biomechanics. [Exercise and Weight Loss: The Science of Preserving Muscle Mass] https://www.livescience.com/55773-physics-of-gymnastics-events.html
