Volleyball analysis
For this project, we were assigned to connect math to something we're passionate about. For me, that's volleyball. I studied all the physics and math that make a volleyball hit successful by plotting points on footage of a volleyball player. I split the footage frame by frame to determine the speed and velocity involved with hitting.
Background Information on Hitting:
A hit (or spike) is one of the most important skills in volleyball. It is a powerful arm swing at a ball to score a point on the other side. Timing, strength, and technique are crucial to a successful hit.
Forces Involved in Hitting:
Hitting takes a lot of different forces and utilizes them all to execute a perfect hit. The main and most important forces are inertia, torque, momentum, and velocity.
Importance of Strength, Form, and Energy Transfer:
Strength is important for volleyball- the ability to powerfully launch off the ground and swing hard at a ball is what the sport is about. Form is necessary to not only prevent injury but to ensure that all the correct forces are being applied at the proper times. When the forces stated above are combined, kinetic energy transfers through the legs to the arms and finally through the volleyball to speed it toward the ground.
Velocity Explanation:
Velocity is the speed of an object in a particular direction.
V= (Distance traveled) / (Time passed)
You can figure out the velocity of a volleyball shot by dividing the distance your ball traveled by the amount of time it took to get there.
This equation was shown in action through the plotting of points and graphing of a volleyball swing. The distance traveled in feet was divided by the time that passed, giving us equations like V= 12 feet/ 1.7 seconds (V= 7.06 fps). These equations demonstrate the velocity of the arm swing, footwork, and ball traveling. A higher velocity is ideal in the swing through the ball, as that will cause the ball to accelerate faster and therefore be harder to pass, scoring a point. Things that could be changed to increase velocity are a quicker approach to build momentum and energy to be used during the swing, and stronger arms and legs to jump higher, swing harder, and change the downward angle (by gaining height or obtaining a wrist snap). A faster swing would cause the ball to accelerate faster changing the time traveling to around 1.2 seconds. Changing of the angle would increase the velocity greatly, as it would decrease the distance to around 10 feet instead of 12. These changes would alter the ratio and make it more like V= 10 feet / 1.2 sec = 8.33 fps, creating an overall stronger, faster, and unpassable ball.