Physics of Sports

Physics of Sports is a collection of computer simulations that illustrate the role played by physics principles in many popular sports. Each simulation models a particular sport with the student given full control over the relevant variables, creating a highly interactive tool to perform in-depth studies. With a high-degree of physical accuracy and versatility built into each simulation, students can explore the answer to such questions as: how is the velocity of a batted ball influenced by the mass of the bat and the contact point along the bat, how does body configuration affect a person's vertical jump or the rotation of a platform diver, what is the most forgiving angle at which to shoot a basketball, or how does top-spin or back-spin affect the way a ball bounces? Developed with the goal of capturing student interest, the program contains 12 stand-alone simulations that model physics principles from a variety of sports: • Basketball • Baseball • Gymnastics • Diving • Biking • Downhill Skiing • Race Car Driving • Weight Lifting • High Jump • Hammer Throw Each simulation contains four components: (1) the experiment screen where input parameters are varied and the resulting motion is animated; (2) advanced screen where results can be analyzed with the aid of graphs; (3) theory screen that details the physics principles and equations governing the sport; (4) guide screen that provides detailed student guidance for performing the investigation. Physics of Sports may be used as an instructor lead demonstration in front of the classroom, or used by students as a computer-based lab activity. The simulations serve as a fun and engaging real-life application of fundamental physics principles, integrating smoothly into introductory level physics courses. New in version 2.0: • New interface utilizing enhanced graphics, instantaneous display of physical quantities, and frame by frame playback control. • New guide screen with detailed instructions for performing investigation.		By precisely specifying changes in the diver’s body configuration over time, students observe how the resulting changes in the diver’s moment of inertia affect rotation and entry into the water.
		Students explore factors that affect the velocity of a batted ball – including pitch speed, bat speed, ball mass, bat mass, contact point on bat, and coefficient of restitution.
		Students study how such variables as front gear radius, rear gear radius, and incline angle influence the speed of a bike and the torque that the biker delivers to the pedal.
Being given control over the motion of various parts of the body during a vertical jump, students discover how the ground reaction force and center of mass associated with body configuration affect the height of the jump.		By experimenting with unlimited variations in body configuration for a gymnast swinging on a bar, students observe how changes in the center of mass, net torque, and moment of inertia influence the gymnast’s angular velocity and overall motion.
Students take practice shots to find multiple shot-angles & launch-speeds that result in a basket, then determine those that allow for the greatest margin of error on the part of the shooter.		Students study the motion of a race car on a circular track. By varying car speed, banking angle, track radius, and coefficient of friction, the resulting forces are examined with a free-body diagram.