The ball is rolling, all eyes are on you and the clock is ticking - the game is on! Without a moment's hesitation, you run towards your opponent's goal with the ball on the tip of your shoe, and as you approach the goalpost with your foot up, you kick the ball hard to score, but while the ball is spinning, ready to score...
Let us rewind for a moment and break down this scenario to see what we are dealing with. For one very hot minute, there are only two on the pitch, you and the ball. The ball is standing still and you are eagerly running towards it to give it a nice kick. You manage to move it, and as the ball continues on its journey, you ask yourself... "What's going on here? That was the moment you learned about Newton's Laws.
What are Newton’s Laws of Motion?
The First Law teaches us about the existence of inertia, which suggests that if the ball is at rest, it will remain at rest, and if it is moving, it will continue to do so until some other force interferes.
Newton's Second Law focuses more on acceleration, and both the guts with which you hit the ball and the weight of the ball determine the rate of speed at which the ball will have spun. The lighter the ball and the harder the kick, the further it would have traveled.
But even if the adrenaline was high, I think you felt the ball in your foot, didn't you? Imagine if the kick had been a bit stronger, and stronger, and so on. Can you picture how that would have felt for you, the player? Yes, indeed, a harder and harder kick would result in a harder and harder feeling in your foot. This is the Third Law, which states that where there is a force (your kick), there will always be an opposing force, both equally strong.
Magnus Effect on the Spinning Ball
Now that we thoroughly went through Newton’s Three Laws, we have an idea of the basics of kicking a ball and making sure it goes wherever you want on the pitch, but in order to guarantee victory, I think it’s high time we moved onto how to skyrocket it! (For real) It's called the Magnus Force and it appears when you give the ball a spin after kicking it. As it spins above the ground after being kicked, its movement causes the air pressure to be higher on one side and lower on the other. Pure sorcery, but I swear you're the only wizard! Finally, you can make it spin in different ways - backspin to slow it down, topspin to make it go faster, and sidespin to make it dance left or right!
The principles of physics underpin the beauty and intricacy of the beautiful game, from the precise kick to the delicate spin. So, the next time you're watching or playing football, remember that it's more than just a game - it's a symphony of physics and athleticism that inspires people all over the world. And even if I feel bad for interrupting the game from the first paragraph, I'll leave the ending up to you to see if you can use physics to your advantage and make a name for yourself in football!
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