This paper examines the physics involved in driving a golf ball off the tee. The objective of a drive is to achieve the greatest distance while leaving the golf ball in the middle of the fairway. Several factors will be considered in achieving the longest, and most accurate drive. The factors include calculating the velocity of the golf ball after the club and ball collide, the mass of the club head, launch angle, the shape of the club face, and finding the optimal golf ball.
Intuition tells us that the larger the velocity of the club head at impact with the golf ball, the larger the velocity of the golf ball after the impact. To calculate the velocity of the golf ball we need to consider the relationship between the velocity of the club head to the velocity of the golf ball.
If the collision between club head and ball were elastic we would be able to use Conservation of Mechanical Energy and Conservation of Momentum to determine final velocities of club head and ball after collision, but the golf ball undergoes some deformation at time of impact, thus some energy is lost.
A simple test of bouncing a golf ball on a solid surface shows that the golf ball does not return to it's initial height. The elasticity of a ball (e) is equal to the proportion of the velocity before collision to the velocity after collision. If the collision was elastic, e = 1. If the collision was perfectly inelastic, e = 0. The value of e is between 0.70 and 0.80.
In order for there to be a collision the initial velocity of the club head must be greater than the initial velocity of the golf ball. Also for there to be separation, the final velocity of the golf ball must be greater than the final velocity of the club head. Thus the eq...
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...ar Application to Golf.” The Physics of Sports. By Angelo Armenti, Jr. New York: AIP Press, 1992. 71-76.
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Most amateur golfers believe that impact on the ball is the only key factor for hitting straighter and farther by swinging harder and faster, forgetting important facets in basics of the swing. There are multiple parts of the swing that involve biomechanics however; some key points are set-up, backswing, downswing, follow-through, and ground reaction force (GFR). To focus primarily only on one point of the swing to fix all problems is an obscure way to view the s...
Golf is the ultimate battle between man and nature. It is a beautiful sport in which dreams come true and hearts are broken. Man is challenged on every stroke by nature’s elements. Wind and rain are only a few of the conditions that affect this great game. Undulating hills, sand bunkers, thick rough, and even creeks and ponds come into play on most golf courses. These features are fierce at Augusta National Golf Course. Located along the fall line, the natural beauty of the region is the perfect complement to this championship golf course. Every spring when the flowers are in full bloom, Augusta plays host to The Masters Championship and is transformed into the Mecca of Golf.
The purpose of this paper is to describe the softball swing anatomically, mechanically, and analytically. By analyzing each move one makes when...
When looking at a collision between a baseball bat and ball, three things always apply:
Baseball is a fascinating sport that is exceptionally fun to play. This assignment is all about understanding the physics of a few key aspects of this sport. One might ask what physics could have to do with baseball? Like most sports baseball involves physical motion. Baseball encompasses all three planes of motion through throwing, hitting, and fielding. All of the classical laws of mechanics can be applied to understand the physics of this game.
All the math work, along with physics principles, aided in proving that math has a significant role in the game of softball. Although people know that math is included in softball, the degree of its inclusion is still a mystery to both the audience and players. As seen in the mathematics work and graphs above, an average throw of a regulation fast pitch softball is parabolic in shape. This parabola has a curvature known as the trajectory, or the bath of the flying ball. This trajectory and parabola increases as the distance of the throw increases, therefore, the maximum height of the throw increases. This proves that an average softball throw has many mathematical aspects that shape the way the sport is played.
Tiger's Driver Club head is moving at an average speed of 122 mph at impact with
Its America’s pastime. Since 1869, the MLB has been the sweetheart of American sports. A requisite to be a true American is to have a conceptual understanding of baseball; the seventh inning stretch, “Take Me Out To The Ball Game,” as well as hotdogs and warm summer nights at the ball park are all favorite memories of American pastime. However, what one might not realize is the extreme physics behind the game. The velocity of the pitch, and degree of the ball exiting the bat, the exit speed, and how an outfielder throws are entailed within the physics of baseball. It is important to understand the physics involved with baseball to grow in understanding and appreciation of the sport.
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Penner (2001a) showed while keeping the club head speed and mass constant, the main determinant of the drive distance is the dynamic loft of the club which responsively affects the launch angle of the ball. He found that at keeping the mass at 200g and speed at 45ms-1, the dynamic loft leading to the maximum carry distance is 14.9º while the optimal dynamic loft for achieving greatest drive distances is 10.7º. The second value is significantly lower, because with a lower dynamic loft, the launch angle is lower, thus the ball gets a longer run.
The golf swing is possibly one of the most challenging and technical processes. In Eric Nagourney’s article, Exploring the science of the golf
Over the years, science has come to play a big part in sports all around the world. Whether an athlete is shooting a ball, or even just running up and down a playing field, there comes in factors of science determining the outcome. The game of basketball features projectile motions and collisions, energy and momentum, and much more. By studying the physics behind a basketball shot, one can develop insight into the shooting conditions most likely to result in a successful shot. This paper will focus on the physics behind the most fundamental shot in all of basketball, the lay up, and the backspin on a jump shot.
Because of the evolution, golf looks much different than when it started. Because the sport of golf has changed, many people have been able to better their game and lower their handicap. Along with this, many more people have been introduced to the game which may be helping the sport be
...the more energy is lost and the less the ball bounces back. The less denting that occurs, the more energy is kept and the higher the ball bounces back.