By Patrick J. Kiger The creators of jousting intended it as test
of martial prowess and character, but math and physics also seem
to play a significant role. In 2002, Erik M. Berg and Roger L.
Lampe, who at the time were undergraduate science students at
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, wrote this paper in which they
mathematically modeled the collision of two jousters and
analyzed how the a number of different variables—ranging from
the size of the knights and the muscular strength of their grip
of their saddles, to the velocity their horses achieve—influence
the outcome. Berg and Lampe found that one critical factor is
the alignment of a knight’s lance, and the location and angle at
which it strikes the opponent’s shield or armor. A straight-on
blow that hits an opponent in the center of the torso is likely
to bend his upper body directly backward. That sort of strike
could shatter a lance, if the collective mass and velocity
exceed the wooden shaft’s tolerance for bending. In order to
unhorse an opponent a