Optimizing Golf Ball Trajectory
Golf Range
Prior Knowledge Questions
You should hit a shot with a very high angle to make the ball go farther.
A high launch angle means the ball will travel higher and have less air
resistance, allowing it to go a longer distance.
Golf drives travel much farther than Major League home runs because
the golf ball is heavier and has a smaller surface area, resulting in less
wind resistance compared to a baseball.
Gizmo Warm-up
The ball did not go far enough.
By adjusting the initial velocity (vinitial) and launch angle (θ) sliders,
you can achieve a hole-in-one. For example, 65 m/s and 45 degrees can
result in a hole-in-one.
Yes, you can get holes-in-one using other combinations of vinitial and θ.
For example, 65 m/s and 45 degrees is one possible combination.
Activity A: Maximum distance
Hypothesis: The launch angle that will produce the longest drive is
around 45 degrees.
Experiment: A. The launch angle that produced the longest drive was
41 degrees. B. The ball traveled 355 m.
Observe:
The curved path the ball takes through the air is its trajectory.
The curve is slightly steeper on the right than on the left due to air
resistance.
Experiment (without atmosphere): A. The launch angle that produced
the longest drive was 44 degrees. B. The ball traveled 555 m. C. The
ball traveled farther without air resistance because there was no force
slowing it down.
Extend your thinking:
On the Moon, the ball would travel much farther than on Earth due to
the lower gravity and extremely thin atmosphere, which would result in
less air resistance.
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