Judd
SchwabÕs PreCalculus Webpage
Many people throughout the world aspire to become a professional
soccer player. Other than lack of
talent, speed, and strength there is another reason why these people cannot
reach
the professional level of the game that they love, and that is their lack
of understanding the functional models of PreCalculus.
A
soccer kick can be represented by several functional models commonly used in
PreCalculus, mainly a quadratic.
This graph represents
the height of a ball when kicked, and how it climbs at the same rate at which
it falls. This information could
be helpful to any soccer player who is trying to time their jump for a header
or a volley. So in this
theoretical situation, a player who is on the receiving end of the kicked ball
would want to jump or swing their foot between 11 and 12 seconds.
|
Time (s) |
Height (m) |
|
1 |
5 |
|
2 |
10 |
|
3 |
15 |
|
4 |
20 |
|
5 |
25 |
|
6 |
25 |
|
7 |
20 |
|
8 |
15 |
|
9 |
10 |
|
10 |
5 |
This
is the data used to create the quadratic
graph above.
Problem
What force in Newtons would have to be applied to a soccer ball at a 45 degree angle in order for it to reach a height of 25 meters?
To
find R, we needed to change 25 m into Newtons, which I have already done by
multiplying 25 by 9.8 m/s2.
Now we use sine to find the force needed to kick a ball 25 meters
high.
Sine45=245/r or r=245N/Sine45
R=346.5 N
So
the force needed to kick a soccer ball 25 meters high at a 45 degree angle is
approximately 346.5N.
Application and why I did this
webpage.
The point of this webpage is to emphasize how studying functional models such as a quadratic equation can enhance a soccer playerÕs ability. By knowing when and where the ball will fall or how much power is needed to kick a ball a certain distance, someone who is terrible at soccer can become a better player. In the real world hopefully someone can use this to better their soccer skills enough to reach the next stage of their careers, whether it be in high school, college, or the professional level.
Links
My Email:
judd_stud@hotmail.com