Projectile Motion: Comparing Actual vs Theoretical

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the comparison between actual and theoretical projectile motion of a soccer ball, highlighting the impact of air resistance and spin. The actual motion (represented by the yellow line) deviates from the theoretical model (blue line) due to air resistance, which reduces both horizontal and vertical distances. Additionally, the upward lift caused by the ball's spin contributes to the observed discrepancies, with the yellow line appearing higher than the blue in the graph.

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Demson
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the yellow is an actual projectile motion from a soccer ball thrown in the air and the blue is a theoretical projectile motion with the same initial velocity and angle of projection calculated from the actual.

How is air resistance affecting the actual projectile (yellow) according to the graph below?

graph.jpg


cheers
Demson
 
Last edited:
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Air resistance should decrease both the horizontal and vertical distances travelled, so in terms of the horizontal, your graph makes sense. However, the yellow line appears to be higher than the blue which could be caused by spin of the ball, which causes an upwards lift.
 
dave_baksh said:
Air resistance should decrease both the horizontal and vertical distances travelled, so in terms of the horizontal, your graph makes sense. However, the yellow line appears to be higher than the blue which could be caused by spin of the ball, which causes an upwards lift.

coolio thanks
 

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