Curve Balls

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Curve Ball Thrower

A ball sitting next to a cardboard tube with a chunk cut out

PIRA 2C20.60

This experiment uses a curve ball thrower constructed from a paper mailing tube lined with sandpaper. A styrofoam ball with approximately the same diameter as the inside of the tube is also used.

The ball is first placed at the end closest the handle, and as the ball leaves the thrower, the sandpaper forces it to roll along the length of the thrower. This imparts a spin on the ball. As the ball travels, the air on one side of the ball is moving faster than the air on the other side, relative to the ball. The slower, higher pressure air then pushes the ball causing it to fly in a curved path.