Gravity and Balls in Flight





Watch the paths of the balls in this video. Can you find a similarity between them? Can you describe the similarity in mathematical terms?




That's a Three......

In the following video, notice the velocity vectors and how they change as a function of time. This change occurs only in the vertical direction. The horizontal component of the velocity will not change. (There will be a very small slowdown in the horizontal direction due to air resistance. We will ignore air resistance for now.)

Press the play button to view the video. Pay sepcial attention to the velocity vectors. (You may pause, rewind, and replay the video if you wish.)





The Football Kick

Look at this video of a football kick. Compare it to the previous video of the basketball shot. Are the paths the same? Try throwing or hitting a baseball. Do you think the path of the baseball will be similar to the paths of the basketball and football?










Consider the following graph. Notice the intervals along the horizontal axis. Each interval represents the distance the ball traveled during that time period. Notice that the ball traveled the same distance in the horizontal direction during each time interval. This is because the horizontal component of the velocity does not change.








Examine this graph. In this graph we concentrate on the vertical component of the velocity. Notice that the vertical distance that that ball travels gets smaller on the upward path until it reaches the top of the parabola. At the top of the parabola, the vertical component of the velocity is zero. After that point, the vertical component changes direction and the magnitude increases in the downward direction and the vertical distance traveled during each subsequent time interval increases.



More Sports Videos

Baseball Track and Field Football
Basketball Gymnastice Weight Training