Locus of a point

[Monkeyseat]

Hi.

[Question]
Describe the locus of a persons foot when running.

[Difficulty]
Not quite sure how to word it...

Can't really describe it "mathematically".

[Thoughts]
I thought it would be somthing like a cycloid.



Thanks for any help!

 

[tkhunny]

That's an interesting question. I don't really have an authoritative answer, just a few thoughts.

Do you get to assume the foot is a point? If not, it seems the heel, toe, and ankle would have very different patterns. The closest to the point representation probably would be the ankle, but maybe the heel, since it actually can get to the ground. Plus, some running is on the toes or balls of the feet (heels never make it to the ground), while other running is on the heels, rolling to the toes. In come cases, the toes may barely get off the ground.

Something like a cycloid? Sure, but an odd one. Unless you go to a lot of trouble to pick up your feet very high, it will be pretty flat.

Well, thanks. I definitely didn't wake up this morning planning to think about this sort of thing.

 

[Monkeyseat]

That's an interesting question. I don't really have an authoritative answer, just a few thoughts.

Do you get to assume the foot is a point? If not, it seems the heel, toe, and ankle would have very different patterns. The closest to the point representation probably would be the ankle, but maybe the heel, since it actually can get to the ground. Plus, some running it on the toes or balls of the feet (heels never make it to the ground), while other running is on the heels, rolling to the toes. In come cases, the toes may barely get off the ground.

Something like a cycloid? Sure, but an odd one. Unless you go to a lot of trouble to pick up your feet very high, it will be pretty flat.

Well, thanks. I definitely didn't wake up this morning planning to think about this sort of thing.

Thanks! Appreciated a lot. It didn't say a specific point, just said the foot.