Laws of Motion in Soccer

Question:

we want to know about the laws of motion in soccer?

Answer:

The laws of motion as they apply to soccer can be quite a challenge. Each player's body responds in accordance with those laws as does the ball, every blade of grass on the field and the molecules of the gasses that make up the air through which the players, ball and grass move. That is way too much detail for us to deal with, or anyone for that matter. I doubt if an entire soccer game or even one goal has ever been totally analyzed. Perhaps we could get a grip on the laws of motion as they apply to the ball if we make some simplifying assumptions.

Consider a kick. During the time the ball is in contact with the foot it experiences a force. According to Newton's second law the acceleration of the ball will be equal to that force divided by the ball's mass. Once the ball leaves the kicker's foot, the only forces acting on it are the force of gravity and the force of air resistance. Gravity will accelerate the ball towards the center of the Earth and air resistance will accelerate the ball opposite to its direction of motion. If we know enough about the force of the kick and the nature of the air resistance we can calculate the distance and direction of the point where the ball comes back to the field, from the point of the kick.

If you are interested in working out such a problem, email back some more specific information about what you are interested in and maybe we can work out an answer.

This information is brought to you by M. Casco Associates, a company dedicated to helping humankind reach the stars through understanding how the universe works. My name is James D. Jones. If I can be of more help, please let me know.

JDJ