What's the Most Challenging Gymnastics Event, According to Physics?
Fans of the Summer Olympics can't seem to get enough of American gymnast Simone Biles. 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? 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.