Relation between magnus effect, speed and acceleration

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between the Magnus effect, speed, and acceleration of a spinning object, specifically in the context of simulating a soccer ball's motion. Participants explore the forces acting on the ball, including the Magnus force, viscous friction, and gravitational force, and how these contribute to the ball's acceleration.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the Magnus force affects the acceleration of a spinning object, which subsequently changes its velocity.
  • There is a suggestion that the Magnus force, viscous friction, and gravitational force can be summed to calculate acceleration, but the forces should be broken into their components.
  • One participant notes that the Magnus effect can be understood through the behavior of a golf ball, where the dimples create turbulence that affects the flow of air around the ball.
  • Another participant questions whether a smooth ball experiences a greater Magnus force than a dimpled ball, assuming equal mass and cross-sectional area.
  • There is mention of the complexity of fluid dynamics and the potential effects of rotational velocity on the Magnus force.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on the impact of the Magnus effect and the role of surface texture (e.g., dimples) on the force experienced by the ball. The discussion includes both agreement on the need to consider multiple forces and uncertainty regarding the specifics of how these forces interact.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the complexity of the fluid dynamics involved and the need for assumptions regarding the behavior of forces, such as the treatment of rotational velocity and the effects of turbulence.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for those interested in physics simulations, fluid dynamics, sports science, and the mechanics of spinning objects.

hkhalil
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Hi,

Is it right to assume that, since F = ma, that the magnus force has an impact on the acceleration of the spinning object, which in turn leads to a change in its velocity?

I need to program an application that simulates a corner in soccer. This involves calculating the viscous and Magnus forces applied to the ball. I am just trying to find the relation between these two forces and the acceleration of the ball.

Is it right to sum the viscous friction and the magnus force, as well as the gravitational force, and divide everything by the mass in order to find the acceleration at a time T ?

Thanks
 
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hkhalil said:
Hi,

Is it right to assume that, since F = ma, that the magnus force has an impact on the acceleration of the spinning object, which in turn leads to a change in its velocity?

Yes, remembering that velocity is direction as well as speed. Also remember that there's a translational velocity as well as a rotational velocity. I always thought of the magnus effect in terms of a golf ball. All the little dimples on the golf ball "grab" the air (because of the ball's rotational motion) and "pulls" the ball.

In reality, there's a lot more turbulent effects that I don't understand going on around the ball that lie in the domain of fluid dynamics.

Is it right to sum the viscous friction and the magnus force, as well as the gravitational force, and divide everything by the mass in order to find the acceleration at a time T ?

Well, as with any body, you have to break the forces up into their component forces. When I did this code, we only considered the lift of the magnus force, which would sum with gravity, we didn't consider "hooking" or "slicing" of the ball. But yes, the mass still acts as resistance to the force.

Also, when I did the code, rotational velocity was constant. In reality, I'd assume the magnus force slows down the rotational velocity of the ball as it gains lift (Newton's 3rd).

The http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_effect" only considers the lift force on a round object.
 
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Pythagorean said:
All the little dimples on the golf ball "grab" the air
The dimples create a localized turbulence which helps the flow remain attached better and reduced the magnus force.

The http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_effect" only considers the lift force on a round object.
This article does a better job of explaining detatchment of flow as the most likely cause of Magnus effect:

http://www.geocities.com/k_achutarao/MAGNUS/magnus.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jeff Reid said:
The dimples create a localized turbulence which helps the flow remain attached better and reduced the magnus force.

Interesting... that means that a smooth ball feels more magnus force than a dimpled ball? (assuming same mass, and cross-sectional area)

I'd always assumed that the golf balls were intentionally manufactured to take advantage of the magnus effect.
 
Thank you for your answers
 

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