Physics of Sports Video - Archery
For our second project, we created a video where we explained the physics of an action in a sport, ours specifically being an archery shot.
We started this project off with creating a script, showing the chronological order of the events that would happen in the video. First came the introduction, of course, discussing the point of the video, and what we would do in it. Then we started explaining the transfers of energy, and how to get the best shots using those calculations, because there really is no point of learning the math unless it can benefit you in the game. And lastly, for the people who missed the information before, we did a recap section to summarize everything in the video.
So what did we get in the end? Well, we created a video that teaches others how to get better archery shots, but importantly, achieving a goal using math. It wasn't Bill Nye material, but we did have a goal, and achieved it.
We started this project off with creating a script, showing the chronological order of the events that would happen in the video. First came the introduction, of course, discussing the point of the video, and what we would do in it. Then we started explaining the transfers of energy, and how to get the best shots using those calculations, because there really is no point of learning the math unless it can benefit you in the game. And lastly, for the people who missed the information before, we did a recap section to summarize everything in the video.
So what did we get in the end? Well, we created a video that teaches others how to get better archery shots, but importantly, achieving a goal using math. It wasn't Bill Nye material, but we did have a goal, and achieved it.
Content:
Just like the last project, we had to calculate many different things. We had to be precise in our calculations because they have to be credible, especially when you are teaching them to other people. So for this project, we calculated many things, such as vertical velocity and projectile motion. In fact, here are some of the specific concepts that we learned throughout the project.
Materials:
Vertical Velocity- Vertical Velocity is the speed of an object in a certain direction due to gravity. The vertical velocity for the arrow is 3.5 m/s. What this basically means is that since velocity is speed in a given direction, the vertical aspect of it obviously means speed in a vertical direction. The difference between it and regular velocity is that it is majorly affected by the acceleration due to gravity, which is about 9.8 meters per second. In simple text, the force you use to throw an object up clashes with the acceleration of 9.8 meters per second, therefore making it go down. A famous term was used for vertical velocity and gravity, "What goes up must come down." Click "1" and "6" for more information and a diagram I made on the subject.
Horizontal Velocity-Horizontal Velocity is the velocity of an object in horizontal distance, on the x axis. The horizontal velocity of our arrow is 33 m/s. Click "6" for more information and a diagram I made on the subject. Projectile Motion- Projectile motion is a form of motion where the flight path of an object is affected by the force of gravity. Basically what this means is if you fire a projectile in the air, the downward force of gravity will make the flight path of the object curve, making it come back down in a parabola-like path. We had to use this information in our physics of sports video because since air resistance affects our archery path, we had to calculate the angle that the air resistance would push down just enough to hit the bulls eye, which was 5 degrees. See diagram "2" and "3" for more information. Vector-Vectors are quantities of magnitude and direction. For example, when something is moving 5 m/s in the horizontal direction, 5 m/s is the magnitude, and horizontal is the direction, so that would be a vector. Click "6" for more information and a diagram I made on this. |
Air resistance- The force of friction that air puts on an object. This is the force that tells the difference between theoretical and actual mechanical advantage, between a straight or curved flight path. I showed this in diagrams "2" and "3", where the downward force of gravity is the air resistance.
Spring Potential Energy-The spring potential energy is the amount of potential energy gained by compressing a spring. For the drawback of a compound bow, we got 40 joules of spring potential energy. Impulse-An impulse is a force acting on an object for a certain period of time. It is calculated by the equation J=Ft, meaning force*time. Impulse is a very peculiar concept to me, but does make sense in the long run. The equation is set up so that the force of a 2000 pound elephant that is on an object for 2 seconds is equivalent to the force of a 200-pound person on an object for 20 seconds. Click "4" for more information and a diagram I made on the subject. Momentum-The tendency for objects to keep moving. It is represented by the equation p=mv, meaning mass*velocity. So the more the mass and the faster the object is moving, the harder it is to stop. Pounds of Resistance- Pounds of resistance are the pounds that an object's force must have in order to put work on an object. I'd like to think of it like a barrier. In order to attack a base, you should have enough power to break the barrier. Click "5" for more information and a diagram I made on the subject. Total Velocity- The total velocity is the diagonal velocity of both the horizontal and vertical velocity. I like to look at it as a triangle. The vertical and horizontal velocities are the height and base of the triangle, and the total velocity is the hypotenuse. In order to find the hypotenuse, you need to do a^2+b^2=c^2, also known as the Pythagorean Theorem. For our specific velocities, it would be 33^2+3.5^2=c^2, which would be 33.19 m/s. Look at diagram "6" for more information. |
Reflection:
I think two things that I did well in this project were asking questions and being and obedient member in the group. I always tried to stay interested in the group conversation, and when I didn't get something, I was not afraid to ask questions. Another thing I did well was helping my leader get things done. You see, one of the most important parts of a team is having a leader, and in order to be successful, you must have only one leader and listen to him. For example, in the beginning of the project, we decided on a leader, being Eliam. From that point, I was always ready to help Eliam, and made sure we were on top of our game.
But it's not good to be too on top of the game. For example, I should have been less pushy with my group. Though being on top of the game was good timeline-wise, my constant pushing of my groups kind of set a negative feeling around the table, which was not good because it affected our will to do work and be produce results. Another thing I should've worked on was being more active in decision making. Since I didn't really make decisions, I was unsure of what was going on at times, which made me fall behind in my groups activity, and my group would start feeling like I wasn't contributing to the project. In the end, I feel our project was successful, because not only was our video explanatory and entertaining, but it taught us things about teamwork that we would've never figured out ourselves.
But it's not good to be too on top of the game. For example, I should have been less pushy with my group. Though being on top of the game was good timeline-wise, my constant pushing of my groups kind of set a negative feeling around the table, which was not good because it affected our will to do work and be produce results. Another thing I should've worked on was being more active in decision making. Since I didn't really make decisions, I was unsure of what was going on at times, which made me fall behind in my groups activity, and my group would start feeling like I wasn't contributing to the project. In the end, I feel our project was successful, because not only was our video explanatory and entertaining, but it taught us things about teamwork that we would've never figured out ourselves.