Thread: trajectory simulation based on test data
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Unread 02-02-2014, 10:37
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Ether Ether is offline
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trajectory simulation based on test data

I realize there are a number of teams who have shared flight path calculators, but this is a little different.

I have a numerically-integrated simulation model written for the flight path of this year's game piece which uses an empirical (test-data based) function (or lookup table) to determine the magnitude of the drag as a function of ball speed, rather than using Fd = ½*ρ*A*Cd*V2.

The model is complete except for that function.

To complete it, I need the empirical (test) data. I think such a simulation, using actual test data for the game piece, would be useful, fun, and educational.

If there are any teams out there who have or would be able and willing to generate such data, I volunteer to analyze it, extract the drag force function from it, incorporate it into the model, and publish the source code and a ready-to-run app that teams can use.

What I need is the air drag force on the (non-spinning) ball over a speed range from about 1 to 6 (is that high enough?) meters/sec. I think I can extract this data by analyzing high-speed time-stamped video taken at an appropriate distance and angle. If anyone has the capability of shooting straight up (vertical shot) that would make extracting the data from the video a lot easier I think.