Description:

Title: Functional Interpretation for Transverse Arches of Human Foot

Speaker: Dr Shreyas Mandre, Associate Professor at the Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick

Abstract: Fossil record indicates that the emergence of arches in human ancestral feet coincided with a transition from an arboreal to a terrestrial lifestyle. Propulsive forces exerted during walking and running load the foot under bending, which is distinct from those experienced during arboreal locomotion. I will present mathematical models with varying levels of detail to illustrate a simple function of the transverse arch. Just as we curve a dollar bill in the transverse direction to stiffen it while inserting it in a vending machine, the transverse arch of the human foot stiffens it for bending deformations. A fundamental interplay of geometry and mechanics underlies this stiffening -- curvature couples the soft out-of-plane bending mode to the stiff in-plane stretching deformation. In addition to presenting a functional interpretation of the transverse arch of the foot, this study also indicates a classification of flat feet based on the skeletal geometry and mechanics.

**Please note, this event will be held online via Zoom at the following link: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/94123041846

-----

To subscribe to the Applied Mathematics Colloquia List send a message to seminar-join@esam.northwestern.edu