Introduction

Have you ever wondered how ballerinas stand on the tips of their toes? Pointe shoes, a special kind of ballet shoe, enable a dancer to stand up "en pointe." In this project, I will examine the physics behind a ballerina's pointe shoes.

Problem:

How much force (in Newtons) per square centimeter is on a dancer’s toes in pointe shoes? How does this change when a dancer is standing flat, standing on the ball of their foot, and standing en pointe? How does this change when a dancer is standing on one foot?

Hypothesis:

There will be the most force (in Newtons) on a dancer’s foot when they are standing on one foot en pointe. The force will be the least per square centimeter when a dancer is standing flat on two feet.