Physics of Sport

Physics of Sports is a collection of computer simulations that illustrate the role played by physics principles in many popular sports. Each simulation models a particular sport with the student given full control over the relevant variables, creating a highly interactive tool to perform in-depth studies. With a high-degree of physical accuracy and versatility built into each simulation, students can explore the answer to such questions as: how is the velocity of a batted ball influenced by the mass of the bat and the contact point along the bat, how does body configuration affect the rotation of a platform diver, what is the most forgiving angle at which to shoot a basketball, or how does top-spin or back-spin affect the way a ball bounces?

Developed with the goal of capturing student interest, the program contains 15 stand-alone simulations that model physics principles from a variety of sports; Basketball; Baseball; Gymnastics; Diving; Biking; Downhill Skiing; Race Car Driving; Weight Lifting; High Jump; Hammer Throw.

Each simulation contains four components:

1) the experiment screen where input parameters are varied and the resulting motion is animated using colourful graphics,
2) the analysis screen where results are displayed and can be examined with the aid of graphs that are generated based upon specific input parameters,
3) a theory screen that details the physics principles and equations governing the sport, and,
4) a hints screen that provides guidance with performing the investigation. Physics of Sports may be used as an instructor lead demonstration in front of the classroom, or used by students as a computer-based lab activity. The simulations serve as a fun and engaging real-life application of fundamental physics principles, integrating smoothly into introductory level physics courses.

There are three new simulations in version 3.0:

• Bungee Jump
• Pitching a Curveball
• Billiard Balls

System Requirements: Windows: Windows XP/7/8/10. Macintosh: Mac OSX  10.6 - 10.11.