Curling is an Olympic sport supposing that participants of the two teams alternately slide special heavy granite stones toward the marked target on the ice. In this sport, momentum collisions play an essential role.
First, the significance of massive stones should be noted. According to the World Curling Federation, the weight of the stone is to be between 38 and 44 pounds (“Rules and Regulations” par. 1). This weight specifies an appropriate velocity of the stone. Momentum is a vector of the physical quantity, which is a measure of the mechanical movement of the body. The law of the momentum collision states that the vector sum of the momentum of all the bodies in the system is constant. Therefore, if the mass of the stones is the same, then the central collision stationary stone gains the momentum equal to the momentum that is necessary to move the stone, which will stop after a collision.
Second, going last is a distinguishing advantage as the last player has an opportunity to move the stones of others (Sherman par. 3). That is why according to the rules of curling, the right to the last slide is given to the team that lost in the previous end. Sometimes, it is advantageous to “traverse” the last stone, in other words, to put it out, rather than to earn a minimum of points.
References
“Rules and Regulations.” World Curling Federation. World Curling Federation, n.d. Web.
Sherman, Rodger. “What You Need to Know about Olympic Curling at the Sochi Games.” SBNation.com. N.p., 2014. Web.