How Far Can You Throw (or Kick) a Ball?

There are a lot of physics and science behind throwing a football. You must take into account all of the factors around you, as well as figure out the best angle to send the ball where it needs to be. Throwing a deep ball is all about using the right angle with the right amount of force. I want to find out at which angle is the best to throw the farthest ball. The angles I will test will be a low angle at 15˚, a medium angle at 45˚, and a high angle at 75˚. The force throwing the ball will be the same, so the only factor changing will be the angle at which the ball is being thrown. I think the medium angle will send the ball the farthest.
Strength doesn’t always determine how far someone can throw a football. The better your form is and the angle you throw the ball is more important than your arm strength. Scientists have come up with the shape of a football for it to travel the best in a tight spiral. When the ball is being thrown, it follows a curved path called a parabola. Gravity is forced upon the ball at the end of the ball’s path, forcing it to curve down at the highest point.
The ball is thrown in a particular fashion so the ball can make a spiral as it travels through the air. If the ball was thrown with the ends perpendicular to the ground, it wouldn’t be able to travel as far and as well. “In addition to throwing the ball point first, the passer’s grip and release cause the ball to spin on its lateral axis, and he benefits from the aerodynamics of the ball’s ellipsoid shape.” As the ball slices through the air, the material the ball is made out of and the shape of the ball all influence how well the ball will travel. All quarterbacks are taught how to throw a spiral because a spiral is the best way to minimize air resi...

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...long enough. There are many factors that go into the perfect throw as well, but by changing up the experiment a little bit, I can make it so every attempt is the same, only changing the angle. As I do the experiment, I will measure the distance each ball travels and find an average distance for each angle. This will give me my final analysis on which angle is best to throw a football the farthest.

References
• Machin, W. (2014, February 6). The Physics of Throwing a Football. In Livestrong.com. Retrieved March 20, 2014
• The Physics of a Throwing a Football. (n.d.). In thephysicsoffootball.wikispaces.com. Retrieved March 20, 2014
• Freudenrich, C. (n.d.). How the Physics of Football Works. In howstuffworks.com. Retrieved March 20, 2014
• Haas, R. (2011, May 11). Will the Angle of a Football Affect the Distance it Goes?. In livestrong.com. Retrieved March 20, 2014