In: Physics
In many studies the ground reaction force(GRF) and joint moments are compared between subjects; in addition, free moments are becoming a more commonly investigated variable. Most authors will normalize the data to remove the differences seen due to the subjects' physical characteristics such as height and weight. It is most common for researchers to linearly normalize using simple division, the GRF by Body Weight( BW), joint moments by Body weight height(BWH), and free moments by BWH, as it is generally believed that heavier subjects will create larger GRF and joint moments when moving at the same speed as lighter subjects. This allows us to compare more meaningful data, as the effects of the height and weight of the subjects are theoretically neutralized by the normalization procedure