Quote:
Originally Posted by mikegrundvig
To that end, we need to know quite a few things starting with the ball diameter, density, and mass (does someone have the weight of the ball measured accurately?).
because determining the coefficient of friction for a pebbled surface seems exceptionally difficult.
Another potential nasty problem is the Magnus Effect.
|
Diameter is 25"/Pi
Weight is 302 grams +/- about 2% (based on an unreasonable sample size of 3)
Density can be calculated, and is not necessarily uniform.
Also consider that the surface WILL change as the ball gets used in a tournament.
The Magnus effect is NOT trivial nor can it be ignored, if your launcher imparts spin greater than about 2 or 3 spins per second. That spin also has a significant effect upon how the ball will bounce after it hits the backboard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikegrundvig
no need to over-complicate it.
|
Right. Use the match for a first order estimate, and go empirical from there.
BUT, understanding all those variables will come in handy when you try to solve any problems with variability of your trajectory.
...I pretty much got the impression that the balls are actually very small, cuddly landmines. - Gui Cavalcanti [more] 
09-01-2012, 22:45
Threaded Mode