Skateboard tricks and topological flips

Abstract: We study the motion of skateboard flip tricks by modeling them as continuous curves in the group $\mathrm{SO}(3)$ of special orthogonal matrices. We show that up to continuous deformation there are only four flip tricks. The proof relies on an analysis of the lift of such curves to the unit-sphere. We are also able to use these lifted curves to visualize many of the tricks and deformations between them.

combinatoricscomplex variablesfunctional analysisgeneral mathematicsgroup theoryK-theory and homologynumber theoryoperator algebrasprobabilityquantum algebrarings and algebrasrepresentation theory

Audience: researchers in the discipline

GAG seminar

Series comments: Description: Non-specialized research seminar