Biology
How do pole vaulters achieve such precise pole bends?
Quick fact
Vaulters bend their poles to convert their forward sprinting speed into elastic potential energy, which then springs back to launch them skyward.
Why this is interesting
A pole vaulter's pole bends into a deep U-shape, storing enough energy to lift a grown man 20 feet in the air—like a compressed spring that was slowly wound up by a sprint.