Forces
A force is a quantity measured in Newtons (N) and occurs whenever there is an interaction between objects and/or people. There are different kinds of forces, which include: frictional, tension, normal, air resistance, applied, and spring. These are all forces that occur when there is physical contact. Forces that don’t require physical contact include: gravitational, electrical and magnetic.
In basketball, there are many kinds of forces occurring everywhere.
Frictional: -Allows player to run, jump, move side to side, etc. on the court without sliding (sole of shoe grips the hardwood floor)
-Allows a player to grip the ball in order to dribble, shoot, pass, etc.
Tension: -Tied up laces on basketball shoes allow for increased security around the ankle
-When the ball goes through the net, tension in the mesh of the net absorb the impact of the ball to slow down its movement
Normal: -Keeps objects (i.e. players, ball, net, from entering the floor), as it is perpendicular to the surface of contact (i.e. hardwood basketball court)
Air Resistance: -Helps to slow down the speed of moving objects i.e player running, ball being passed, etc.
Applied: -Allows player to dribble, shoot, pass, block, etc. with a regulated force
-Allows player to resist other external forces acting on it (i.e. gravity, frictional, tension, air resistance, etc.)
Spring: -Some basketball shoes may contain springs in the bottom to allow better shock absorption due to contact
-Spring in bottom of basketball shoe may allow player to jump higher and move faster
Gravitational: -Allows objects to fall back to the ground when launched in air (i.e. shooting or passing ball)
-Allows people to move and jump without floating off; ensures things will come back to the contact surface
In basketball, there are many kinds of forces occurring everywhere.
Frictional: -Allows player to run, jump, move side to side, etc. on the court without sliding (sole of shoe grips the hardwood floor)
-Allows a player to grip the ball in order to dribble, shoot, pass, etc.
Tension: -Tied up laces on basketball shoes allow for increased security around the ankle
-When the ball goes through the net, tension in the mesh of the net absorb the impact of the ball to slow down its movement
Normal: -Keeps objects (i.e. players, ball, net, from entering the floor), as it is perpendicular to the surface of contact (i.e. hardwood basketball court)
Air Resistance: -Helps to slow down the speed of moving objects i.e player running, ball being passed, etc.
Applied: -Allows player to dribble, shoot, pass, block, etc. with a regulated force
-Allows player to resist other external forces acting on it (i.e. gravity, frictional, tension, air resistance, etc.)
Spring: -Some basketball shoes may contain springs in the bottom to allow better shock absorption due to contact
-Spring in bottom of basketball shoe may allow player to jump higher and move faster
Gravitational: -Allows objects to fall back to the ground when launched in air (i.e. shooting or passing ball)
-Allows people to move and jump without floating off; ensures things will come back to the contact surface
Newton's Laws of Motion:
Isaac Newton Newton created the three laws of motion. Movements in basketball can occur due to these laws. They include:
1. Every object in a state of uniform motion remains in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
2. The relationship between an object's mass, its acceleration, and the applied force is F=m*a; direction of the force is proportional to the direction of the acceleration.
3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Isaac Newton Newton created the three laws of motion. Movements in basketball can occur due to these laws. They include:
1. Every object in a state of uniform motion remains in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
2. The relationship between an object's mass, its acceleration, and the applied force is F=m*a; direction of the force is proportional to the direction of the acceleration.
3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Forces of Dribbling a Basketball
The video above shows the most basic technique of dribbling a basketball (in reality, this would be a double dribble violation because he picks the ball up with two hands then continues to dribble again, however for the purpose of this analysis, focus primarily on the ball being forced downward and how it bounces back up).
Types of Forces: The boy can grip and move the ball in control because of friction and how the ball is designed to have channels (black grooves) in order to provide a more stable grip. He applies a force downward and the ball falls to the ground with the help of gravity. When the ball is only in the air, only the force of gravity is acting on it. When it hits the ground, the normal force keeps it from sinking into the ground. (The free body diagrams below express the various forces)
Newton’s First Law: When the boy is simply holding the ball in his hands there is a balanced force which prevents the ball from moving. According to Newton’s first law of motion, the only reason why the ball stops accelerating downward is because of the external force of the ground acting on it in the other direction. This external force enables the ball to then accelerate upward back into the boy’s hand, which acts as another external force that stops the ball from accelerating. Without this law the ball would continue to accelerate uncontrollably when acted on by an applied force.
Types of Forces: The boy can grip and move the ball in control because of friction and how the ball is designed to have channels (black grooves) in order to provide a more stable grip. He applies a force downward and the ball falls to the ground with the help of gravity. When the ball is only in the air, only the force of gravity is acting on it. When it hits the ground, the normal force keeps it from sinking into the ground. (The free body diagrams below express the various forces)
Newton’s First Law: When the boy is simply holding the ball in his hands there is a balanced force which prevents the ball from moving. According to Newton’s first law of motion, the only reason why the ball stops accelerating downward is because of the external force of the ground acting on it in the other direction. This external force enables the ball to then accelerate upward back into the boy’s hand, which acts as another external force that stops the ball from accelerating. Without this law the ball would continue to accelerate uncontrollably when acted on by an applied force.
Newton’s Second Law: Acceleration of the ball being dribbled is determined by the amount of force applied on it. Since the ball has a mass, the boy had to apply a great enough force in order to create an unbalanced force and overcome external forces resisting it from moving. If he wanted to dribble the ball in a different direction, he must apply that force in that direction. If he wanted to dribble slower he would apply a less amount of force. The force applied on the ball by the boy and the force the ground applied on the ball can be expressed using the equation: F=m*a. Good basketball players know how to regulate how much force is needed to complete a skill effectively. The calculations below describe the amount of force that the boy applied on the ball in order for it to accelerate downward onto the ground.
Newton’s Third Law: Action and reaction forces occur when the boy’s hand starts to apply a downward force on the ball. As his hand is pushing downward (action force) ball is applying an equal force upward on his hand (reaction force). When the ball applies a force to the ground (action force), the ground applies an equal force upward onto it (reaction force), which allows the ball to bounce back upward.