johnprzy
- Science
The Physics of Beer Pong
These guys are pretty amazing. And the nonchalance with which they accomplish each trick shot adds a certain understated humor to this entertaining video. But though the guys seem to be developing a seemingly useless (if highly impressive) skill in their spare time, there's quite a bit of complex science at play. In addition to being a highlight at any party, these are excellent demonstrations of two- and three-dimensional projectile motion, and with just a little bit of quantitative analysis the entire video would make a formidable project for an introductory level college physics class. For example lets look at the segment where the guy tosses the ball in the cup off of a moving skateboard.
5.8.2008 at 03:44pm - Comment by johnprzyYou forgot to consider air resistance. Since ping pong balls have a relatively small mass for their total volume, they are very susceptible to air resistance. Consequently, a parabola is not ideal for describing their trajectory. Another point to consider (and something important to anyone who plays ping pong) is ball spin. The spin of a ping pong ball drastically alters its trajectory. When the ball is thrown or anytime the ball bounces, chances are it picked up some rotation. I bet these guys went through A LOT of video tape. :-)
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