Madeline Goodstein

Sports Science Projects: The Physics of Balls in Motion is an interesting informational book that has a great deal of science projects that are supplemented by Physics. Madeline Goodstein writes this interesting book with great academic language to support the results of the science projects, and also shows detailed illustrations that show the reader how many of these projects should look. In experiment 1.3 Goodstein has the reader test which objects hit the ground first from a consistent height of four feet. Different objects are paired together and dropped simultaneously. The first three pairs of objects hit the ground at the same time, but the fourth pair between the crumpled up piece of paper and a regular, flat piece of paper showed a disparity of which one hit the ground first. Goodstein elaborates as to why this action occurred, she explains through academic language about air resistance. "Air resistance, or drag, is the name used for the friction between the air and any object passing through it". Goodstein further explains that since the flat piece of paper has more surface area, it creates more drag as it falls, consequently make the object fall to the ground slower than the crumpled up piece of paper. Goodstein goes on to provide that even if an object is heavier than another, they still fall at the same speed if you take drag out of the equation. She recalls that in 1971 when David R. Scott stood on the airless moon holding a "Falcon Feather in one hand and a hammer in the other, they landed at the same time". She uses physics, historical events, and the findings of Galileo to support why her experiments result in the way that they do. How does a pitcher throw a curveball through the air you might ask? The Magnus Effect! In experiment involving a baseball that is thrown with spin, Goodstein explains how "When a spinning ball moves through air, a force develops that is greater on one side than the other. The greater force pushes the ball to that side". Sports Science Projects is an interesting read with many scientific projects paired with scientific facts that explain why objects move they way that they do.… (plus d'informations)