Will temperature of a football affect how far you kick it?

[SportsGuy1645]

My science fair experiment will test how the temperature of a football will affect how far it will travel when kicked. I have 10 footballs that will have the same air pressure, which has been measured. The constant temperature will be measured prior to heating and cooling with a digital forehead thermometer. I have built a "kicking machine" using 2x4s, bungee cords and a kicking tee so that the force will be the same for each kick. The first 5 footballs will be put in the freezer for 1 hour. The temperature of the balls will be measured with the forehead thermometer. They will be brought out to the kicking machine 1 at a time in a insulated bag. Each ball will then be put on the kicking machine and kicked. Each kick will be measured. The next 5 footballs will be wrapped in an electric warming blanket for 1 hour. The temperature of the balls will be measured with the forehead themometer. They will be brought out to the kicking machine 1 at a time in a insulated bag. Each ball will then be put on the kicking machine and kicked. Each kick will be measured with a measuring tape.

I am having difficulty finding sources for my project and the paper that I have to write. I am having difficulty understanding many of the sources that I do find because they are higher level physics papers with many equations. I need to find out why the temperature may or may not affect the distance of a kick and I need to understand why.

Can anyone help me find sources for the topic or help me to understand some of the equations,etc.?????

Thank you.

SportsGuy1645

[rmarz]

SportsGuy - In constructing your experiment, you should have a good understanding of the variables that are changing so you can use your measurements to corroborate your hypothesis. I think you have stated that the 10 (I assume identical) footballs are all initially inflated to the same pressure at the same temperature. You probably assume that if you raise temperatures above the temperature the footballs were inflated at the gas will expand and would measure a higher pressure than when inflated. Lowering the temperature will reduce the volume of the gas and the pressure would be lower. If that were the only variable that was changing you might get meaningful data.

Another thing that is changing with temperature are the physical properties of the ball itself. The leather or rubber outer skin and the rubber bladder will also become stiffer or more pliable with temperature. Now you have two variables that may be influencing the distance traveled but we don't know which effect is producing which result. Higher internal pressure or the physical rigidity of the ball. Does this suggest a different approach to the experiment? Can you hold one set of variables constant (pressure for example) while you measure the effect of the other variable (temperature)?

Good luck, this might be a very interesting project. Your 'kicking' machine itself might be a worthy science project itself.

Rick Marz

[SportsGuy1645]

Thank you for the reply!!! I have read a little bit about the elasticity of the ball and I think that has something to do with something called Coefficient of Restitution?!

In order to test one dependent variable at a time, could Iincrease air pressure in 5 balls pass the standard pressure of a football and without heating or cooling them, kick them and measure the data..... then I would use less air pressure in the other 5 than the standard pressure, kick them and measure?

could I then cool the 5 that were over the standard pressure and see if it comes back to standard, kick them and measure. Then heat the 5 with less than standard pressure, see if it comes up to standard, kick them and measure?

Would you have any sources????? I'm stuck for sources for my paper!?

Thanks so much for your help.
SportsGuy1645

[deleted-71588]

You can do anything you like. The real question is: "will the results have scientific merit that answer your specific hypothesis"? If your hypothesis is that temperature by itself will have an effect even when pressure is constant, then you need to adjust the pressures in the balls at the various temperatures to be identical. If your hypothesis involves rasing and lowering temperature and letting the pressure vary (HighSchool inflation pressure rule is 13 pounds +/- 0.5 pounds) so there is some basis for allowing pressure change with respect to temperature.

[sciencebuddy]

Hi SportsGuy1645,

I think your original question may be too vague. Moreover, I believe there are too many variables that you may be unable to control. This includes the pressure inside the ball, consistency of throwing method, technique of measuring "how far," etc.
However, I wish you the best!

-Dan