Physics of Sports
Our Task
For our Physics of Sports video, Mr. Williams asked us to help out our coaches and athletes by incorporating the knowledge of physics into their practice. Our task was to apply physics that would improve our understanding and performance in sports. We made calculations for momentum, force, and motion. Here were some steps we took:
Select your sports action.
Experimentally research and analyze all of the component motions in the sport.
Describe each physics concept in the sport as clearly as possible.
Storyboard and script a documentary video that explains the role of physics and how its application can be used to improve technique.
Film and edit your video
Our Video
In this video, you will see how we use physics to teach you how to shoot a free-throw in basketball. Isaac did the editing for this video, Nithya did the filming and spoke, I wrote the calculations in the pictures and spoke, and Ryan also read from the script. All four of us created the script, made calculations, and designed the storyboard. This video shows many comparison's to how our method is used by professionals and why we use specific techniques to complete free-throws every time.
My Movie 32.movMajor Concepts from the Project
Force of Impact -
The measure of force on one object from another. The unit for force is Newtons. An example of this in the project is the force of Nithya's arm releasing the ball. The force of impact was 16 N, or 3.57 lbs. We used the mass (0.57 kg), the velocity (7.30 m/s), and the time of impact (0.26 seconds) to find the force.
The equation to find force of impact is: mv = Ft (of impact)
Horizontal Velocity -
Average speed on a flat surface with no outside forces. The unit is meters per second. In the project, the horizontal velocity for the ball was 4.34 m/s, or 9.7 mph. We knew the horizontal distance to the hoop was 15 feet (4.6 meters) from the free-throw line. We used this information, along with the time (1.06 seconds) to find V.
The equation for this is: V(horizontal) = d(horizontal) / t
Vertical Velocity -
Velocity of a falling object going up or down. Unit is meters per second. The vertical velocity of the ball in our video was 5.88 m/s, or 13 mph. We used the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2) and the time (0.6 seconds) to find this answer.
The Vertical Velocity equation is: V(vertical) = a(due to gravity) t(fall)
Total Velocity -
Total Velocity is a combination of vertical velocity and horizontal velocity. Unit is meters per second. The Total Velocity of the ball was 7.30 m/s, or 16 mph. We used the past two answers to solve for total velocity.
To solve for Total Velocity, use the equation from Pythagorean Theorem: a^2 + b^2 = c^2 or V(horizontal)^2 + V(vertical)^2 = V(total)
Acceleration -
Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. The unit is m/s^2. The acceleration of the ball to the hoop was 27 m/s^2. We used the force of 16 N and the mass of 0.57 kg to find this solution.
The equation to solve for acceleration is: F = ma
Reflection
I feel that my team's edition to the Physics of Sports assignment was relatively successful. All four of us made collective efforts to the final product. Since we are separated, only one of us could edit on the one device and to film we needed a basketball hoop nearby our house; the seemingly main parts of the video could only be done by two different members (Isaac and Nithya). However, Ryan and I made up for this in other significant pieces, like figuring out calculations, working more on the script, and finding more useful clips online.
Two things I did well over the course of this project were organization and problem solving. To start, we laid out a strong foundation that made it easy for our team to follow along for the rest of the project. We first created a storyboard explaining all of the shots we needed to get, and then made our detailed script. I helped keep our team organized and encouraged them to stay on track. Problem solving was another area of this project in which I excelled. For example, our team was having trouble figuring out which measurements to use for the Force of Impact equation, but I kept asking questions and we all pitched in our thoughts and built on each other to figure it out.
Two things that I personally could have put more effort into was the presentation and empathy. For the presentation aspect of this task, it was difficult for me to be very helpful. This is because we had no way of sharing the video while it was being edited, so we had to wait until Isaac had completed his job to see the result. Even still I think that I could have asked more questions and tried to help him in any way I could. The next component I should've improved upon is empathy. During the past month or so, I do not feel like I've gotten to know anyone in my group super well. Everyone stayed very focused on their part without chatting much unless we were figuring out an issue in the planning. Next time, I can try to communicate even more than I did for this assignment and try to connect deeper with my group.