the-BA : Always wear protection

Scientists have been testing reinforced pants designed to reduce the risk of old ladies suffering hip fractures. The special pants have a hard polypropylene case on either side which, in the case of a fall, would divert the impact away from the bone. One old lady involved in testing said: “It’s nice to wear these pants so I feel safe”. The principal of the pants is exactly the same as that used to design shin pads.

Have you ever wondered what shin pads are made from? And just how protective they are?

You might like to …

• investigate shin pads; find out what they’re made from; find out if there are any British Standards that need to be met when manufacturing them
• decide what sorts of properties shin pads require; design tests to compare different materials and different shin pads (you’ll need to think about how to simulate the force of a kick)
• using the information you’ve gathered, design (and make) the ultimate pair of shin pads
• carry out similar investigations and tests on other protective sports gear (for example, cricket helmets, cycle helmets).

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