Jump Over Things Day – April 6, 2024

History of Jump Over Things Day

Also called leaping, jumping is a form of movement in which a living organism — or sometimes, a non-living object such as a robot — propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jumping differs especially from running or galloping because the entire body is temporarily airborne for a relatively long time and it requires a high angle of the initial launch. The primary form of locomotion in many animals is walking, flying, crawling, and running. However, animals such as the kangaroo use jumping as their primary form of movement. Other animals — such as frogs — only employ jumping as a means of escape from predators.

For humans, jumping is mainly used in exercises and sports like high jump, long jump, and show jumping. Jumping involves applying force against a substrate which is responsible for generating a reactive force that propels the jumper away from the substrate. A substrate is any solid or liquid (such as ground or water) that can produce an opposing force. Once a jumping organism loses contact with the substrate, its path of movement becomes parabolic. Hence, jumping organisms are rarely affected by significant aerodynamic forces. Rather, the launch angle and initial launch velocity determine the travel distance, duration, and jump height.

Other important factors affecting jump distance and height include the mechanical power (work per unit time) and the distance of applying the power — such as the leg length of the jumper and the muscles. There are five basic forms of jumping according to the manner of foot transfer. These are: ‘jump’ (jumping from and landing on two feet); ‘hop’ (jumping from one foot and landing on the same foot); and ‘leap’ (jumping from one foot and landing on the other foot). Others are: ‘assemble’ (jumping from one foot and landing on two feet); and ‘sissonne’ (jumping from two feet and landing on one foot).