Who Does the Work When a Ball is Kicked: The Player or the Ball?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the concept of work in the context of a football being kicked. Participants explore who performs the work—the player or the ball—during the interaction and subsequent motion of the ball. The conversation touches on theoretical aspects of work, energy transfer, and the mechanics involved in the interaction between the foot and the ball.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether the work is done by the player when kicking the ball or by the ball as it moves afterward, considering the role of force and displacement.
  • There is a suggestion that if there is no force interaction after the kick, then no work is done between the player and the ball.
  • One participant asserts that work is only done while the force is being applied, implying that the ball's motion afterward is due to inertia rather than ongoing work.
  • Another participant discusses the transfer of energy during the contact between the foot and the ball, highlighting the compression of the ball's surface and the resulting energy storage and release as the ball moves.
  • A later reply compares the interaction to a spring, suggesting that the energy stored in the ball during the kick contributes to its motion after the foot has followed through.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of work and energy transfer during the interaction. There is no consensus on whether the work is done by the player or the ball, and the discussion remains unresolved regarding the specifics of energy transfer and the role of inertia.

Contextual Notes

Some claims depend on definitions of work and energy, and there are unresolved aspects regarding the mechanics of the interaction and the role of forces after the initial kick.

tarak20085
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if I shoot the football, the ball will recive a force in specific direction, and it would follow that direction.
Does the work is done by me when I shooted the ball, or the ball does work when it moves all the period after my shooting ?
the work includes force and displacement , so who does the work ? the ball or me ?
when the ball moves, the force of shooting becomes 0 ? and it stills keep moving because the inertia ? and not because of the work ?
 
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tarak20085 said:
so who does the work ? the ball or me ?
Usually, if A does positive work on B, then B does negative work on A. But the magnitudes can differ if there is energy dissipation.
 
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A.T. said:
Usually, if A does positive work on B, then B does negative work on A. But the magnitudes can differ if there is energy dissipation.
can you answer all my questions please !
 
tarak20085 said:
can you answer all my questions please !
These are too many, because you use question marks as commas.

But if there is no force interaction between A & B anymore, then there is no work done between them.
 
Last edited:
tarak20085 said:
when the ball moves, the force of shooting becomes 0 ? and it stills keep moving because the inertia ? and not because of the work ?
Yes: work is only being done while the force is being applied.
 
This is a bit misleading. If there's a pair interaction in the total energy the interaction potential enters only once!
 
Work is also a transfer of energy. The transfer occurs during the contact (interaction). In the case of the football the kinetic energy of the foot gives some of its energy to the ball (does work on the ball). This energy results, during the contact, in the compression of the surface of the ball . This compression is the results of the work in stretching the surfaces and compressing the gas inside the ball heating the gas as well as heating the surface and temporarily storing energy in the stretched surface. The elastic surface returns some of the energy as the ball begins to move during the period the foot is in contact with the ball.

In the video note the initial contact and hesitation of the ball to move as it is compressed and its subsequent increase in velocity as the surface rebound converting the stored energy into the motion of the ball.

 
gleem said:
Work is also a transfer of energy. The transfer occurs during the contact (interaction). In the case of the football the kinetic energy of the foot gives some of its energy to the ball (does work on the ball). This energy results, during the contact, in the compression of the surface of the ball . This compression is the results of the work in stretching the surfaces and compressing the gas inside the ball heating the gas as well as heating the surface and temporarily storing energy in the stretched surface. The elastic surface returns some of the energy as the ball begins to move during the period the foot is in contact with the ball.

In the video note the initial contact and hesitation of the ball to move as it is compressed and its subsequent increase in velocity as the surface rebound converting the stored energy into the motion of the ball.


Thank you!
I ve understand what you wanted to explain beside the last chapter
you ve said (as the surface rebound converting the stored energy into the motion of the ball).
Did you mean that the surface stretched in the ball make a work on the total ball ?
moving of the ball when no foot is applying happens because the force of the gaz on the surface
 
Last edited:
tarak20085 said:
Did you mean that the stored energy in the ball surface make a work on the total ball ?

Basically, If you kick an uncoiled spring it will compress and store energy imparted by the kick. As the foot follow through the spring expands pushing against the foot. The other end of the spring is unhindered so the expansion produces a force in the direction of the motion of the rest of the spring. The spring (ball) bounces off the foot.
 

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