Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi there. I am doing my project on how the amount of air pressure in a soccer ball affects how far it goes when kicked. I am using a pendulum system (to keep the kicking constant) to kick the ball horizontally along the ground . Please can you tell me the relevant forces that are acting upon the ball when it moves through the air and some equations that I can apply to prove this. I have looked on the Internet already but I can't find the exact information I need so it would be great if you could help me out. [/b]

Tessa wrote:Hi there. I am doing my project on how the amount of air pressure in a soccer ball affects how far it goes when kicked. I am using a pendulum system (to keep the kicking constant) to kick the ball horizontally along the ground . Please can you tell me the relevant forces that are acting upon the ball when it moves through the air and some equations that I can apply to prove this. I have looked on the Internet already but I can't find the exact information I need so it would be great if you could help me out. [/b]

Hi, Tessa!

I did a Google search on "forces on a ball in motion" and found some interesting links that could point you in the right direction. Also, you seem like an intelligent person, so I'll bet you could come up with a pretty god list on your own. May I suggest that you think about everything that the ball comes in contact with, including the air, as you consider what to study?

This sounds like a very interesting project!

OneBriiguy wrote:

Tessa wrote:Hi there. I am doing my project on how the amount of air pressure in a soccer ball affects how far it goes when kicked. I am using a pendulum system (to keep the kicking constant) to kick the ball horizontally along the ground . Please can you tell me the relevant forces that are acting upon the ball when it moves through the air and some equations that I can apply to prove this. I have looked on the Internet already but I can't find the exact information I need so it would be great if you could help me out. [/b]

Hi, Tessa!

I did a Google search on "forces on a ball in motion" and found some interesting links that could point you in the right direction. Also, you seem like an intelligent person, so I'll bet you could come up with a pretty god list on your own. May I suggest that you think about everything that the ball comes in contact with, including the air, as you consider what to study?

This sounds like a very interesting project!

Oops! I meant to type "pretty good list". Sorry.

Hi Tessa!

You can pose three questions to answers.com:

1. How does air pressure in a soccer ball impact the distance it goes when kicked?

2. What factors impact the distance a soccer ball goes when kicked?

3. What equations describe the distance a soccer ball goes when kicked?

Question 1 addresses the air pressure issue. Question 2 looks at what other factors may be active.

Question 3 looks for specific equations. They are there in reference 2, but are fairly complex.

If the wording above does not exactly work out, you may need to do some word-smithing.