Projectile Sports Physics Project

Goal / Description:    

Previously available only to our nation’s elite Olympic athletes, using video analysis techniques to improve sports performance is quickly becoming a commonplace practice.  You will “take it to the next level” by striving to perform a quantitative analysis of a sport and give coaching advice based on your lab results and research.

The goal of this project is to utilize your knowledge of projectile kinematics to measure, analyze, and suggest practical improvements to the athletic performance of a particular type of projectile motion—whether it be shooting a perfect basketball free throw, kicking a long-range field goal, or nailing a faultless high dive.  After determining an interesting sport phenomena to analyze, your group will need to accomplish the following tasks In order to have a successful project:

1.       Lights, Camera, Action!:  Obtain the use of a camcorder to film the entire trajectory of the projectile you choose and transfer it to VHS tape.  Using a tripod would be extremely helpful, and you should film the scene at a right angle (along the z axis) so that the trajectory is captured in a 2-dimensional x-y plane.  You will need to be able to determine distance to scale in your video clip by placing some type of marker in the x-y plane of the video frame (e.g. have someone hold a meter stick).

2.       Into the Editing Room:  We will provide technology to digitize your video clips (MPEG-1 format) so that you may analyze the clips on a computer, or you may choose to analyze your video on a VCR capable of playing back frame-by-frame.  If you choose to digitize your video clips, you will need to bring a recordable CD-R (~$1).  We will also provide customized video tutorials that you can study on a computer to aid in your projectile analysis.

3.       The Magic of Science:  Since every frame of a video filmed in North America (NTSC standard) is 1/30th of a second, you will be able to determine the motion of your projectile at successive time intervals and mark its trajectory along the center of mass.  Once your data is transferred to graph paper, since you know both time and distance at any point, you will be able to determine graphically to scale the horizontal, instantaneous (tangent to parabola), and vertical velocity components of your projectile. 

Using the kinematic (TNEOM) equations, you should then be able to give an analysis of various components of motion relevant to the sport such as effects of air resistance or rotation about the center of mass by comparing your real data to ideal kinematic analysis of the initial launching velocity and angle, final landing velocity and angle, maximum height, range and hang time achieved.  Any further graphical or kinematic analysis of your sports phenomena that will maximize performance should also be done at this stage of the game.  You should present your final data and calculation results neatly in a table—you may want to use a spreadsheet tool such as Excel to make your life easier.

4.       Research, Research, Research:  Armed with your quantitative analysis of your sports projectile, your group will need to do some research from at least 3 sources to help compare your findings with those of professional coaches, athletes or other sources to help your athletes make the most of your analysis of their performance and suggestions for improvement.  For example, you may want to analyze footage of Michael Jordan’s jump shot or look up statistics on long jump records to help a gymnast improve her hang-time while vaulting.  Your findings and lab analysis should be put together into a lab report complete with an introduction, data tables, projectile plot, sample calculations and analysis, research findings, suggestions for improving sports performance, and conclusions.[1]

5.       What’s Up Coach?:  The final component of this project will be to present your results to your classmates in a mock coaching session where your group will show your footage including any sports commentary, scientific analysis and research findings.  Good luck! J

 

Grade Sheet for Projectile Physics Project

 

Component

Score

Points

Comments

I. Data Collection

 

·  Interesting problem clearly stated in lab report

 

5

·  Footage properly filmed
(entire trajectory, x-y plane, scale clearly denoted)

 

10

·  Projectile Plot: 
projectile data clearly marked and transferred to graph paper; scale clearly marked and stated
(e.g. 1 cm = 1.4 m)

 

5

Total:

 

20

 

 

 

 

II. Projectile Analysis

 

·  Horizontal velocity vectors calculated

 

3

·  Instantaneous velocity vectors calculated

 

3

·  Vertical velocity vectors calculated

 

3

·  Ideal analysis of initial angle, velocity, maximum height, range, hangtime and other components relevant to sport

 

10

·  Sample calculations clearly stated

 

5

·  Conclusions based on data clearly stated

 

6

Total:

 

30

 

 

 

 

III.  Research

 

·  3+ sources clearly stated

 

5

·  Analysis of research

 

10

·  Coaching advice presented based on research and projectile analysis

 

10

·  Overall quality of Lab Report

 

5

Total:

 

30

 

 

 

 

IV. Presentation

 

·  Visual Aids

 

5

·  Organization

 

5

·  Explanations

 

5

·  Interest Factor

 

5

Total:

 

20

 

 

 

 

Grand Total:

 

100

 


[1] For help, see our school library’s website of useful links & tips:  www.district86.k12.il.us/central/departments/library/index.html