Physics Content and Calculations

Force - An example of using force in our video is roughly 1:57 minutes in. The force of the frisbee leaving the thrower's hand in the example shown was roughly 8.6 newtons (N). We calculated this by using F = ma. We plugged in our variables for mass and acceleration.

Horizontal Velocity - An example of using horizontal velocity, or the velocity of an object travelling distinctly horizontally, was around 2:38. Here, we display the horizontal, vertical, and total velocity of the first 5 meters of a throw. The horizontal velocity was 39 miles per hour, or 17.4 meters per second.

Vertical Velocity - The example in our video of calculating vertical velocity was in the same shot as horizontal velocity. The vector diagram on the screen shows that the vertical velocity, or speed that the frisbee travelled distinctly upwards, was around 6 meters per second. This is because most of the force of the arm went to propelling the disc forwards rather than upwards.

Total Velocity - The total velocity of the frisbee throw discussed in the two previous texts was 18 meters per second, or 44 miles per hour. We calculated this using the Pythagorean Theorem. We used the horizontal velocity as a, and the vertical velocity as b.

Conservation of Momentum - In our video, we described how to conserve momentum in your frisbee throw. Around 1:30, we discuss the importance of rotating into the movement with your hips, shoulders, arms, and wrists. When also grasping the frisbee tightly, this allows you to put maximum effort and momentum into your throw.

Spin/Angular Momentum - In our video, we concluded that the throw at 2:42 spun around 9 revolutions per second. We also calculated angular momentum by multiplying the radius of the disc times its total momentum. We got an angular momentum of 0.3 kg m/s.

Calculations: