Where there is water and a few rocks and preferably flat rocks a boy has to do what he has to do, skip rocks. I bet you I have skipped rocks thousands of times and in fact have shared the art with my children, even Preston can skip a rock.
So what is so exciting about skipping a rock? Well, for one, if you cannot do it you have not tried and you have certainly not failed. Skipping rocks is a lesson in success and overcoming disappointment. It is also a lesson in geometry, physics and common sense. Let me explain.
First to skip rocks you have to know that a flatter rock is easier to skip with than a round rock. Also you learn that a heavy rock is not necessarily the best rock. You see a round rock is more likely to not skip on water because it has less surface area when it hits the water which means the surface tension of the water is lower in a small spot and therefore more likely to sink. Also if the rock is heavy it is more likely to break the surface tension of the water and sink. That is PHYSICS and common sense. Now for the geometry part of the equation. It is very important that you throw the rock as close as possible to parallel with the surface of the water. If you do this correctly you maximize the surface tension of the water, minimize the effect of a heavy rock and you maximize the number of skips on the water. Once the rock hits the water the first time it will bounce off the water and arch into the air until its weight and momentum combined cause the rock to fall to the surface of the water again where the surface tension of the water and the weight of the stone plus its speed of descent to the water allow it to once again sink or skip. Now with all that said surely it is plain to see the lower the angle or parallelity (my word) the more skips you get when combined with high throwing speed and a modest size rock. I should also tell you that if you spin the rock when thrown it will also cause the surface tension of the water to have less impact on the speed of the rock and cause more skipping.
Well in the end our success is measured by how many skips you get and how far it goes. A little understanding of physics and geometry are by products but the fact is, you learn by doing. Now that brings up another thing and that is, Do you fail if you never try? I contend that if you don't try you automatically fail and that if you try and fail you really WIN. If for no other reason you win because you are a better person because you know that you tried.
What do you learn in the Osage?
So what is so exciting about skipping a rock? Well, for one, if you cannot do it you have not tried and you have certainly not failed. Skipping rocks is a lesson in success and overcoming disappointment. It is also a lesson in geometry, physics and common sense. Let me explain.
First to skip rocks you have to know that a flatter rock is easier to skip with than a round rock. Also you learn that a heavy rock is not necessarily the best rock. You see a round rock is more likely to not skip on water because it has less surface area when it hits the water which means the surface tension of the water is lower in a small spot and therefore more likely to sink. Also if the rock is heavy it is more likely to break the surface tension of the water and sink. That is PHYSICS and common sense. Now for the geometry part of the equation. It is very important that you throw the rock as close as possible to parallel with the surface of the water. If you do this correctly you maximize the surface tension of the water, minimize the effect of a heavy rock and you maximize the number of skips on the water. Once the rock hits the water the first time it will bounce off the water and arch into the air until its weight and momentum combined cause the rock to fall to the surface of the water again where the surface tension of the water and the weight of the stone plus its speed of descent to the water allow it to once again sink or skip. Now with all that said surely it is plain to see the lower the angle or parallelity (my word) the more skips you get when combined with high throwing speed and a modest size rock. I should also tell you that if you spin the rock when thrown it will also cause the surface tension of the water to have less impact on the speed of the rock and cause more skipping.
Well in the end our success is measured by how many skips you get and how far it goes. A little understanding of physics and geometry are by products but the fact is, you learn by doing. Now that brings up another thing and that is, Do you fail if you never try? I contend that if you don't try you automatically fail and that if you try and fail you really WIN. If for no other reason you win because you are a better person because you know that you tried.
What do you learn in the Osage?
- if you don't try you cannot succeed
- skipping rocks teaches folks to compete
- failure is never failure unless you chose it, it is a decision not an emotion
Thanks for reading and spending time with me,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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