On the Flight of the Volleyball

Abstract

The paper deals with results of measurements of forces acting on volleyball. Drag coefficients evaluated from measurements in two aerodynamic tunnels are compared. The other force components i.e. lift and side force obtained by experimental investigation with angle of attack related to the axis of rotation are studied.

The Magnus effect in volleyball service by video analysis

“…Most papers dealing with the Magnus effect adopt a conventional and symmetrical definition for the drag force and the Magnus force, expressing both as a function of the square of velocity multiplied by a coefficient that is not constant [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. However, this definition is more appropriate for approaches using numerical approximations.…”

“…(ii) It is rather difficult to design a simple and easy experimental set up to directly measure the Magnus force. It can be performed accurately using a wind tunnel and a structure coupled to dynamometers to hold the ball [7][8][9].…”

“…(ii) The drag and Magnus coefficients extracted from adjusted parameters of simple mathematical fits, as well as the calculated Reynolds number, are in accordance with the literature. In fact, in reference [9], the authors obtained the same values of these parameters for the same type of ball (Mikasa VLS300), but they used a wind tunnel and dynamometers. Thus, the agreement of the values of these parameters calculated by means of very two different techniques is significant evidence that the simplified model adopted in this work provides a reliable mathematical description of the Magnus effect.…”