sports English

[Eway]

1. "Even the most heavy-footed, orthopaedically challenged person can become a fast, strong runner if they acknowledge their need for a bit more time for recovery than their light-footed counterparts."

What does "orthopaedically challenged" mean?

2. "...friction coefficient ... is the energy used to propel the body forwards, relative to that which is lost and pushed downwards into the ground."

Is this saying "friction coefficient = the energy used to propel the body forwards÷that which is lost and pushed downwards into the ground"?

3. "7:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m. jogged 1.5 miles felt a little weak; mentally alert"

What does it mean by "mentally alert"? That he's nervous?

[Ouisch]

What does "orthopaedically challenged" mean?
Clumsy.


What does it mean by "mentally alert"? That he's nervous?
Not nervous, but very attuned to everything going on around him. His mind is keen and focused, he is not distracted or preoccupied.

[Eway]

Thanks!
But...how about my second question? I'm confused about if "relative to" means "divided by"...

[Coffa]

Yes. A "coefficient" in this context means the multiplier (between 0 and 1) that you apply to the energy expended moving an object forward to give the amount of energy wasted against the surface upon which you are moving.

Because it is a dimensionless quantity it describes the amount of energy wasted "relative to" the total amount of energy expended.