Can you keep a toy hoop up? A toy hoop is a plastic ring that you twirl around your body. The motion of your body keeps the hoop up. It spins around your waist. Some people can hoop easily. Others have a hard time no matter what they try. A new study explains why.
To spin the toy hoop, you apply a force [a push or a pull] with your hips. At the same time, you apply a twisting motion. If you are a good hooper, you can keep the hoop spinning quickly and easily. Your force balances the force of gravity [the force of attraction between two objects] pulling down on the hoop. Some people can hoop for hours.
But what does it take to a be a good hooper? Researchers tested different motions and body shapes using robots. They found that the body shape of the robots affected their success. The best hoopers had a pear-shaped body. They had sloping hips that push the toy hoop up. They also had a narrow waist that could keep the hoop in place.
If you can’t hoop, give yourself a break. Some people just aren’t built for it.
What Do You Think? Are you a good hooper? Use what you learned to explain why or why not.
Photo Credit: ERproductions Ltd/Blend Images LLC
