The Physics of Basketball Essay

This introduces the first two physical concepts. Force is a push or pull acting on an object, and someone pitching a baseball is a contact force, as it arises from “the physical contact between two objects” (Cutnell & Johnson, 2012). The velocity of an object can be defined as the change in distance of an object over an elapsed time. In simpler terms, velocity can be thought of as how fast something moves in a certain direction. Force is determined by the mass of an object, as well as acceleration. An object with a large mass is harder to set in motion than a small object with little mass. Acceleration results from changing an objects constant velocity. Therefore, the concept of force in its simplest terms can be summed up as force = mass * acceleration, “when a net external force (F) acts on an object of mass (m), the acceleration (a) that results is directly proportional to the net force and has a magnitude that is inversely proportional to the mass. The direction of the acceleration is the same as the direction of the net force” (Cutnell & Johnson,

The player has now compressed the spring in the ball shooter. The ball sitting in the ball shooter is at rest. It will be at rest until acted on by an unbalanced force. This is Newton’s first law of motion, the law of inertia (Kirkpatrick and Wheeler p31). The ball shooter is then released the spring decompresses and strikes the ball sending it up the incline to the top of the pinball playing field. The strike on the ball is called the impulse. The time interval it takes for the ball momentum to change. Since the ball has no momentum because it has zero velocity the ball shooter transfers its momentum at the impulse (The Ball Shooter 2003). This also takes place in the time frame of about a second.

The fastest growing sport in America is lacrosse, and in order to play lacrosse, it is important to first understand the physics of the game. Lacrosse players around the world use physics while playing without even thinking about it. With no knowledge of physics, it would be pretty difficult to master the fastest game on two feet. One of the worlds greatest scientist, Isaac Newton, established three laws dealing with physics, and using these laws will make it possible for a lacrosse player to understand what he or she needs to do in order to throw a ball. Newtons first law deals with inertia, his second law deals with the relationship between mass, acceleration and force, and his third law deals with opposite reactions. When talking about lacrosse, it is essential to cover Newton’s first law, his second law, and his third law in order to understand the physics behind throwing a lacrosse ball. .

The physics involved in soccer includes friction, torque, center of gravity, Magnus Effect and Newton’s three laws of motion. The physics of soccer comes from three main parts of physics which is velocity, acceleration, and displacement. Velocity is shown in soccer with the speed and direction of the soccer ball when it is hit or kicked. Acceleration is shown in soccer when the ball changes velocity when it is hit or kicked. Displacement is the change in position of the soccer ball.

Newton’s First Law of Motion, inertia, says that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. The ball will not move forward until the server hits it into play and it will not stop until it hits the net or the ground. The second part of the law is momentum where an object in motion will stay in the motion of a straight line with a constant speed unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. The ball will continue to move in a straight line or an arc until a player blocks the ball from traveling any farther. Newton’s Second Law, force, states that force equals mass times acceleration (F=ma). For volleyball, the more force applied to the ball, the further it will go. This is very important in volleyball because the players need to have the perfect amount of force on the ball to get it over the net but keeping it in bounds. Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The player hits the ball with a certain amount of force, the ball hits the player’s hand with the same amount of force. In volleyball, the player’s upward motion pushes the ball up, where the opposite reaction is the downward motion of the player’s arm after hitting the ball

Josh McAninch Science Project Research Paper Science Project Research Paper This experiment will find if the temperature of a baseball would affect the velocity of a pitch. How will this experiment be done, and what is the science behind it? The baseball is the main object in this experiment.

There is a substantial amount of qualities that go into becoming a complete basketball player. Perhaps the most important quality to possess, in order to be a great player, is the ability to understand and improve the use and recognition of kinesics. According to Dr. Gretchen N, Foley, author of Nonverbal Communication in Psychotherapy, about 65 percent of communication is nonverbal. This means most of peoples emotions are shown through their actions. These actions are classified by body language, eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions. Therefore, the game of basketball is full of nonverbal communication. Speaking from experience, kinesics is seen throughout pre-game, in-game,

Science Buddies of Scientific American completed an experiment on high a basketball bounced on at least two different surfaces. The conductor explained the types of energy, kinetic and potential. They measure a wall up to forty inches high, typing at every eight inches. In the study, the Science Buddies concluded that when a ball is dropped at the same height and way that it bounced higher on a harder surface than a

The distance that you are able to kick the ball can be summed up with the equation for distance, d=RT, distance equals rate multiplied by the time. So speed and time are both very important when kicking the ball because it directly affects the distance. Soccer players vary the distances that they want to kick the ball. Skilled players can estimate very quickly how fast to make the ball move to make it go where they need it to. Before learning this equation in physics I just thought you kicked the ball, but now I know that when this equation is applied to soccer it means so much more. Soccer players can use this to help them judge how hard and fast they need to be able to kick the ball to make it go a certain distance. This is just another example of how physics, the small details, can be used to improve ones soccer skills.

In a game of Basketball the free throw is the most important shot in the game of Basketball, research has been conducted and nearly twenty percent of all points in College (NCAA) Division 1 Basketball were mainly scored from free throws (Kozar, Vaughn, Lord, Whitfield, & Dve, 1994). As the game progresses, the shot becomes more imperative later in the game (Kozar et al., 1994). The free throw would be considered one of the easiest shots in the game (Okubo & Hubbard, 2006), considering that the player is all alone, with no defensive players surrounding him and very little considerable amount of distractions (decides the admirers). A skilled intercollegiate team should be capable of shooting at least 80% or more from the free throw line, but very few teams are able to achieve that goal for whatever reason. Successful free throw shooting requires good concentration and most importantly have good mechanics throughout the whole motion of the shot. Which is why I decided to do my thesis on the analytical mechanics of the free throw. Throughout this paper I will be discussing about non-linear ordinary differential equations, angular velocity, the reaction force, velocity, and the contact point extension of the elbow motion measurements hyperextension on the wrist,….

It would be called the conservation of momentum. The tackles and blocks in football is strictly governed by Newton’s three laws of motion (football: mass, momentum, and

Since the ball had a greater amount of G.P.E, it converted into more kinetic energy, or motion energy, when it was dropped. So, it hit the ground with a

Science is everything in the game of basketball, whether it's the hand-eye coordination or the muscle memory. In basketball, muscle memory is when you practice a lot and your brain and your muscles get used to the way you shoot the basketball. For example, when you type on a keyboard you get used to where the keys are at, then after typing a lot you’ll be able to type without even looking at the keyboard.

Another valuable aspect to consider is drag, which is a resistance force slowing down the motion of the leg and foot through the fluid medium, air (Hall, 1999). The most relevant form of drag here is surface drag, where the size of one's leg and the increased surface area created by the traditional uniform, in addition to its texture play prominent roles in decreasing the velocity of the kick.

Basketball somewhat involves science. The movement in the balls involves motion and gravity. Also, the way a ball reacts to a player pushing it depends on properties of energy and momentum.