|
|
 |
| Talia at golf. |
On SCOPE's Sports Technology 2 episode, you saw Talia play a round of mini golf using science (or physics) to give her the edge. Here's what to do. Watch the clip.
What you need
What to do
Play a round of mini golf and try some of the following physics hints to improve you game:
What's happening?
Technology in sport may have taken us a long way, but without physics we wouldn't be anywhere! If you understand some basic physics principals, you can sink putts like a pro.
Newton 's second law of motion is the first rule: force equals mass multiplied by acceleration. In other words the harder you hit the ball the faster it will speed up and accelerate.
If your ball hits an obstacle, Newton 's third law of motion comes into play. This is the law of equal and opposite reaction-reaction forces.
The ball exerts a force on the obstacle, the obstacle pushes back on the ball, causing the ball to change direction. The ball transfers some its energy to the obstacle, so with less energy the ball's speed is reduced.
In mini golf sometimes there's not a direct line from where you are hitting, to the hole, so you actually need to plan to bounce off an obstacle. In this case you need to know that the angle of incidence = the angle of reflection.
That means that if you were to draw a line from the spot that you hit the ball to the point of impact, that angle would be the same as the angle created from the point of impact to where the ball ends up (which should be the hole).
One of the most frustrating things that can happen in mini golf is when your ball zooms in the hole and then pops back out.
This happens when the ball reaches the hole at too high a speed. It will hit the far rim of the canister with so much kinetic energy, or energy of motion, that it will overcome the downwards pull of gravity and bounce on out.
So take it easy when you play mini golf. Go for light strokes and remember . physics your friend.
Top of Page | Copyright © 2005-2009 Network Ten Australia & CSIRO Australia | Privacy Statement and Legal Notice & Disclaimer
