Can a lighter weight diver jump higher than a heavier diver?
Many people are under the impression that smaller lighter divers will never be able to jump as high as those who are much heavier. Years ago I was one of those who held that belief. One reason was that as divers mature, there is an increase in body weight and strength that accompanies the increase in weight.
Observations of divers jumping demonstrated that this is not really the case. How much a diver bends the board prior to the take-off will determine how high the diver will go. Being mindful of the action-reaction affect, the diver's intent upon landing from the hurdle step is to bend the board or load it with as much energy as possible. Once the board is loaded with this energy, the diver must get into a position to initiate a dive when the board is ready to unload that stored energy. It should be obvious that a heavier diver can bend the diving board further down than a lighter diver. This can be observed just by having the divers stand at the end of the board and look at the amount of bend present. However, that does not necessarily mean that he/she will go higher. An example for demonstration purposes would be to throw a softball and a shot put. It takes more energy to throw the shot than it does the softball the same distance.
Neither of the two objects above can create movement themselves just like a diving board. An outside source of energy must be applied. Divers come in all shapes and sizes with variances in strength and skill. Assuming that the strength and skill levels are proportionately equal between the lighter and heavier diver, it would make sense that the heavier diver must bend the board more in order to attain the same height as the lighter one. If the board were bent to the same degree for both divers, the lighter diver would be propelled higher. The reason is the same as throwing a shot and the softball. The heavier weighted object will require more force to overcome the initial inertia as the board releases its stored energy. When the board is bent to the same degree, an identical force is acting on the two bodies, therefore the lighter of the two will be propelled higher.
The strength difference between the larger and smaller diver can be very deceiving. One must understand that a smaller person can be proportionately stronger than the larger one. Lifting coefficients have been developed and used to compare the strength of larger and smaller individuals in the weight room.
In conclusion, a smaller diver can jump higher with a smaller incremental bend of the diving board than the heavier diver. To all divers, learn to master the technique of getting off the diving board. The dives you do and the way you do them are a result of your ability to get off the board. It is the foundation for learning the higher degree of difficulty dives.