Quote:
Originally Posted by PAR_WIG1350
Actually, the applied force and transferred energy, in this case, are velocity dependent according to the drag equation. The fluid density, ball area, and drag coefficient are fixed (unless you are using a very narrow stream of air, which would would change the area parameter). As a result, velocity really is the only relevant property of the airflow.
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The shape and direction of the air stream was exactly what I was getting at. If you have a narrow air stream, drag alone isn't a great model of the situation. If you point the air stream off to the side of the ball, you have to deal with other effects—like the air stream inducing rotation (an off-centre force, or energy used to accelerate the ball angularly), and the tendency of the ball to fall out of the air stream.