The Physics of Volleyball
Did you know that playing or watching a volleyball game is an excellent way to see the principles of physics in action. Also, an athlete who understands the physics of the game has a higher advantage while on the court.
Speed- The rate at which someone or something is able to move or operate. A player running or diving after a ball is showing speed, if a player is running towards a ball moving down at a fast pace, her speed is what will determine if she makes it there in time before the ball hits the floor. Also, the higher amount of speed the ball moves, gives the opposing player less time to get to the ball and make a good pass to the setter.
Velocity- The speed of movement. 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. The higher the velocity, the tougher it is for your opponent to hit the ball back to you.
Acceleration- An increase in velocity. Let's pretend you just served the ball, it's gone over the net, and it's falling toward the ground. As gravity pulls the ball to the ground, it accelerates. If you gently lob the ball over the net and your opponent sends a hard spike back at you, that's acceleration. In volleyball it is more important to have better acceleration than velocity
Gravity- The force that pulls everything toward the Earth. It is the force of gravity that keeps players feet on the ground and what makes the ball hit the ground, allowing you to score a point. Whatever goes up must come back down.
Work- When a force moves an object. In volleyball, the force is the player and the object is the ball. When someone passes a volleyball the ball moves in the direction that the passer is aiming, which is to the setters hands. The ball moves when the payer comes in contact with it and secondly because the ball moves in the direction that the player passes it. Which means that the ball moves in the direction that the force has been applied. Whenever a force causes displacement to an object it is called work. The ball is constantly being displaced, work is constantly being done. The equation that defines work is: W=Fd. An angle between the force and the direction of displacement makes the equation.
Kinetic and Potential energy- Total work done to accelerate the volleyball from rest to speed, is equal to the amount of kinetic energy it undergoes. The energy of the motion of the ball is dependent on its speed and mass. In order to have a different kinetic energy concerning a specific volleyball, the velocity would have to change, because the mass will always stay constant. Potential energy is stored energy. The amount of potential energy depends on an objects height from a zero level. A ball being held in the air ready to be served has more potential energy than a ball being held at the waist. When someone is approaching to hit a volleyball they are instructed to plant and take off quickly. This has to do with potential and kinetic energy. During the approach the player has kinetic energy. The idea is to transfer it into potential energy. The kinetic energy would be less if one came to a stop, and they wouldn’t be able to jump as high. It is important to remember that potential energy is the product of mass, gravity, and height of the jump. So the height is what determines how much potential energy can be achieved.
Newtons 3 Laws of Motion-
(Newtons 1st Law) This law states that a body at rest stays at rest, and a body in motion stays in motion, unless it is acted on by an external force. An example of this is, the ball is falling and it will continue falling until it hits the ground or is acted upon (passed, set, or hit) by another player or force. Also, the volleyball net will not move unless it’s hit by a player. Newtons 1st law of motion can be seen in many different situations on the volleyball court.
(Newtons 2nd Law) This law says that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. The equation for this law is expressed as F=ma. At the force of a ball being hit is where this law is being shown.
(Newtons 3rd Law) This law states that there is an equal and opposite reaction for every action. The force of the volleyball hitting the forearm of the passer would be considered the action, where the force of the passer on the ball would be the reaction.
Displacement- There are six players on the court and each one has a designated position. There are left-side hitters, middle hitters, right-side hitters, and the same pattern goes for the defensive players. Since there is a set rotation, a player will not always begin in their set position and they have to move to that place. This is known as displacement. Which is defined as the change in position of an object ad can be either positive or negative depending on the starting point and the direction. The equation that represents displacement is d=d2-d1. The total movement between positions is D. The first floor position would be d1 and the second would be d2. Volleyball players have a frequent displacement and so does the ball itself. As the ball moves from one player to another and from one side of the net to the other, displacement is occurring.
Projectile Motion- A volleyball being set, served, or passed, moves in two dimensions, both up and forward. This is influenced by the downward pull of gravity and horizontal motion, which is known as projectile motion. Projectile motion can be defined as free-fall with an initial horizontal velocity. These projectiles follow parabolic trajectories. Without air resistance, the volleyball would travel along a parabola. But since there is air resistance, the volleyball travels along a shorter path.
Speed- The rate at which someone or something is able to move or operate. A player running or diving after a ball is showing speed, if a player is running towards a ball moving down at a fast pace, her speed is what will determine if she makes it there in time before the ball hits the floor. Also, the higher amount of speed the ball moves, gives the opposing player less time to get to the ball and make a good pass to the setter.
Velocity- The speed of movement. 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. The higher the velocity, the tougher it is for your opponent to hit the ball back to you.
Acceleration- An increase in velocity. Let's pretend you just served the ball, it's gone over the net, and it's falling toward the ground. As gravity pulls the ball to the ground, it accelerates. If you gently lob the ball over the net and your opponent sends a hard spike back at you, that's acceleration. In volleyball it is more important to have better acceleration than velocity
Gravity- The force that pulls everything toward the Earth. It is the force of gravity that keeps players feet on the ground and what makes the ball hit the ground, allowing you to score a point. Whatever goes up must come back down.
Work- When a force moves an object. In volleyball, the force is the player and the object is the ball. When someone passes a volleyball the ball moves in the direction that the passer is aiming, which is to the setters hands. The ball moves when the payer comes in contact with it and secondly because the ball moves in the direction that the player passes it. Which means that the ball moves in the direction that the force has been applied. Whenever a force causes displacement to an object it is called work. The ball is constantly being displaced, work is constantly being done. The equation that defines work is: W=Fd. An angle between the force and the direction of displacement makes the equation.
Kinetic and Potential energy- Total work done to accelerate the volleyball from rest to speed, is equal to the amount of kinetic energy it undergoes. The energy of the motion of the ball is dependent on its speed and mass. In order to have a different kinetic energy concerning a specific volleyball, the velocity would have to change, because the mass will always stay constant. Potential energy is stored energy. The amount of potential energy depends on an objects height from a zero level. A ball being held in the air ready to be served has more potential energy than a ball being held at the waist. When someone is approaching to hit a volleyball they are instructed to plant and take off quickly. This has to do with potential and kinetic energy. During the approach the player has kinetic energy. The idea is to transfer it into potential energy. The kinetic energy would be less if one came to a stop, and they wouldn’t be able to jump as high. It is important to remember that potential energy is the product of mass, gravity, and height of the jump. So the height is what determines how much potential energy can be achieved.
Newtons 3 Laws of Motion-
(Newtons 1st Law) This law states that a body at rest stays at rest, and a body in motion stays in motion, unless it is acted on by an external force. An example of this is, the ball is falling and it will continue falling until it hits the ground or is acted upon (passed, set, or hit) by another player or force. Also, the volleyball net will not move unless it’s hit by a player. Newtons 1st law of motion can be seen in many different situations on the volleyball court.
(Newtons 2nd Law) This law says that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. The equation for this law is expressed as F=ma. At the force of a ball being hit is where this law is being shown.
(Newtons 3rd Law) This law states that there is an equal and opposite reaction for every action. The force of the volleyball hitting the forearm of the passer would be considered the action, where the force of the passer on the ball would be the reaction.
Displacement- There are six players on the court and each one has a designated position. There are left-side hitters, middle hitters, right-side hitters, and the same pattern goes for the defensive players. Since there is a set rotation, a player will not always begin in their set position and they have to move to that place. This is known as displacement. Which is defined as the change in position of an object ad can be either positive or negative depending on the starting point and the direction. The equation that represents displacement is d=d2-d1. The total movement between positions is D. The first floor position would be d1 and the second would be d2. Volleyball players have a frequent displacement and so does the ball itself. As the ball moves from one player to another and from one side of the net to the other, displacement is occurring.
Projectile Motion- A volleyball being set, served, or passed, moves in two dimensions, both up and forward. This is influenced by the downward pull of gravity and horizontal motion, which is known as projectile motion. Projectile motion can be defined as free-fall with an initial horizontal velocity. These projectiles follow parabolic trajectories. Without air resistance, the volleyball would travel along a parabola. But since there is air resistance, the volleyball travels along a shorter path.