Physics + Sports
MORE Laws of the Court and the Field
MORE Laws of the Court and the Field
Why can't I jump higher?
Examples: Tip-off, jump shots, fadeaway jumpers.
Physics topics: Freefall motion, acceleration due to gravity. Linear motion, Newton's second law, constant acceleration
EXPLORE: Go outside and record your highest jump (think, rebound, tip-in, dunk, lay-up, or interception, touchdown grab, or extra point block.)
Use the Lab4Physics CamERA tool to measure your ups and compare time to reach the peak versus ground, velocity to reach the peak, the height at peak, and find the constant acceleration. Keep the camera in one place.
SHARE: An animated slow-motion video of your Ups with the measurements annotated.
More on FSN Sports Science
Should I call a fair catch? Will it swish or not?
Examples: Kick-offs, punts, extra points, free throws
Physics topics: 2-D parabolic motion, vector addition, two constant accelerations
EXPLORE: Go outside and capture a 3-pointer, kickoff, or punt on video. Keep the camera in one place.
Use the Lab4Physics CAMERA tool to estimate the total range for several initial velocities. Conclude, what's more important, initial horizontal velocity? or initial vertical velocity?
SHARE: An annotated video showing the object moving in two different ways: High and short, long and low, with a voice-over or text bubbles describing the velocities and range.
Why would you want a less inflated football?
Examples: Deflategate, tackling, rebounds, off the boards, boxing out, taking the charge.
Physics topics: Pressure, Bernoulli's Law, Elastic and inelastic collisions, impulse
EXPLORE: Go outside. Take your ball and a pump or different balls if you don't 'have a pump. Drop, peg, punt, and shoot the balls with different inflation. Ob
Use the CAMERA feature of Lab4Physics to check out how a ball's bounce height changes when you let some air out or pump more air into the ball. Imagine how much easier it would be to catch a softer ball. Consider the tradeoff between throwing accuracy and ease of catching.
SHARE: Annotate slow-motion or real-time videos of collisions (bounces) with different inflation.
What helps me blast off when needed? What does my body tend to do?
Examples: Sprints, break-aways, runs
Physics topics: Positive acceleration, linear motion, friction, normal force
EXPLORE: Go outside and practice sprints on a court, field, or even sidewalk.
Mark off some consistent measurements around you (sidewalk lines, yard lines, parking space lines.) Use the Lab4Physcis Speedometer Tool and a friend to measure your initial acceleration.
SHARE: Post a video of your fastest start
Examples: Jump stop, suicide runs, running routes, drawing a foul.
Physics topics: Linear motion, friction, negative acceleration, jerk (changes in acceleration)
EXPLORE: Go outside and try to make the fastest stops you can.
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