Modelling the flight characteristics of a soccer ball

Jeffrey Leela, Donna M. G. Comissiong, Karim Rahaman

Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology,
The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.

E-mail: [email protected]

(Received 3 June 2014, accepted 30 November 2014)

Abstract
During a football game the ball is airborne a large percentage of the time. For this reason it is important to understand
to principles that govern the motion of the ball in flight. This paper explores the various equations associated with the
movement of the ball in flight. Numeric techniques are utilized to solve some of the equations and represent them
graphically. The parameters in the model are manipulated to show how the graphs vary and agree with real life results.

Keywords: Mathematical modelling, drag coefficient, flight of ball, trajectory, velocity of ball.

Resumen
En un partido de fútbol la pelota está en el aire durante un gran porcentaje del tiempo. Por esta razón, es importante
entender los principios que gobiernan el movimiento de la bola en vuelo. Este artículo explora las diversas ecuaciones
asociadas con el movimiento de la pelota en vuelo. Se utilizan técnicas numéricas para resolver algunas de las
ecuaciones y representarlas gráficamente. Los parámetros en el modelo son manipulados para mostrar cómo los
gráficos varían y están de acuerdo con los resultados de la vida real.

Palabras clave: Modelos matemáticos, coeficiente de resistencia, vuelo de la bola, trayectoria, velocidad de la bola.

PACS: 01.40.Fk, 01.40.G, 89.90.+n ISSN 1870-

9095

I. INTRODUCCIÓN x = uo t . (1)

Newton’s second law of motion F=ma where F is a force, The equation for the vertical component of velocity v, is:
m is a mass, and a is the acceleration is used to determine
the flight of a ball. In the general case there are three forces
dv
acting on the ball, the force of gravity and two forces m = −mg ,
arising from the interaction with the air. For the latter of the dt
two forces due to the air the drag acts in a direction
opposite to the ball’s velocity. The other force is the where g is the acceleration due to gravity. This equation has
Magnus force which acts in the presence of spin and the solution:
deflects the ball perpendicular to the velocity and to the
axis of spin. If the spin axis of the ball is parallel to the v = vo − gt ,
ground, the Magnus force can provide lift. However, if the
spin axis of the ball is perpendicular to the ground, the ball where is the initial vertical velocity. The velocity v at time t
is made to bend flight. is obtained from:
We begin by considering the case where the effects of
air are negligible. There is no horizontal force acting on the dy .
ball therefore, the equation for the horizontal velocity u is: v=
dt
du
m = 0. Therefore, the vertical displacement is obtained by
dt integrating:

Since there is no horizontal force acting on the ball the dy

horizontal component of velocity is constant, and u is equal = vo − gt ,
dt
to the initial horizontal velocity u0. The horizontal
to get:
displacement, x is therefore:

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Jeffrey Leela, Donna M. G. Comissiong and Karim Rahaman
1 2. (2) cross–sectional area, in our case πa2, which is the maximum
y = vot −
gt cross–section, where is the ball’s radius.
2
Using equation (1) to eliminate t in equation (2) gives the Equation (6) as simple as it appears gives rise to
equation for the trajectory: associated equations of motion that are rather involved.
This is due to the fact that the velocity depends on CD
vo 1 g 2. and also the drag force couples the equation for the
y= x − x (3) horizontal and vertical components of the velocity.
uo 2 uo 2 Newton’s equations now become:

This is the equation of a parabola. du

The range R, of the flight is obtained by putting y = 0 m = − Fd cos θ . (7)
dt
in equation (3) since the ball starts off at y = 0 and returns And:
to the ground. On doing this gives for the range, dv
m = − Fd sin θ − mg . (8)
2v o u o .
dt
R= (4)
g where θ is the angle between the trajectory and the ground
at time t ,given by:
The time of flight is given by the time t=T, at which the
displacement y returns to zero. From equation (2) this is v.
tan θ = (9)
given by:
u
2v o
T= .
g
II. METHODOLOGY
Suppose that the initial angle between the initial trajectory
and the ground is θ0, then: It is important to note that equation (7) to (9) do not have an
algebraic solution, but can be solved numerically. For
v0 = V0 sin θ0 and u0 = V0 cos θ0 , (5) simplicity, CD is taken to be constant during the flight. For
our case we use CD = 0.2 since it is highly dependent on the
Reynolds number. Wind tunnel testing has determined
where the initial velocity V0 is given by: various drag coefficients for different shapes. For a sphere,
it ranges from 0.07 to 0.5. A smooth sphere is around 0.5
Vo2 = v o2 + u o2 . and a rough sphere is around. A football’s surface can be
described somewhere in between these values.
In terms of V0 and θ0, the range given by equation (4) is: (www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/shaped.html).
Using v1 = V sin θ and u1 = V cosθ equations (7) and
2V02 sin θ0 cos θ0 , (8) can now be written as:
R=
g
du1
which is: = −α u1 V , (10)
V sin 2θ 0 .
2 dt
R= 0
dv1
g = −α v1 V − g . (11)
dt
Where:
It is known that sin2θ0. has a maximum value at θ0 = 45o, 2 2
this angle gives the maximum range for a given V0, V 2 = v1 + u1 . (12)
And:
V 2 1
Rmax = 0 α = CD ρ A m .
g 2

Equation (10) to (12) will be solved with CD = 0.2.

Our attention now shifts to the drag. The equation for such
The density of air taken to be 1.2 kg m-3 at a
is given by:
temperature of 20°C the mass of the ball approximately
0.3969 kgm-3 and its cross sectional area is 0.39m2, giving
1
Fd = C0 pAV 2 . (6) the value α = 0.015m-1. (The Science of Soccer, John
2 Wesson). By solving for u and v we can integrate u and
dy
Where the drag coefficient CD depends on the velocity, is ρ = v to obtain x and y respectively.
dt
the density of air, V is the velocity of the ball and A is its

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 Modelling the flight characteristics of a soccer ball
By manipulating V0 and θ0 we obtain numerical classified these wind speeds as ranging from light breeze to
simulations for the flight path of the ball. However, our moderate breeze. An Olympic sprinter running with a
values for v0 and θ0 must be carefully chosen. Most medium trailing wind of 4m/s is said to be wind aided and the time
to long range aerial passes in football are kicked with clocked is not recorded as legal. (International Athletics
velocities ranging from 15m/s to 30m/s. Usually a 25m to Federation). This is to say that a football moving through
30m free kick is struck with a velocity of about 25m/s. This the air with winds speeds in this range will strongly
enables about 1 second to elapse between contact with the influence its behaviour.
ball entering the goal. (www.soccerball Consequently in addition to the wind having a velocity
world.com/Physics.htm). Since our analysis is primarily w moving parallel to the field’s plane, the wind can act
concerned with aerial passing during play at medium to along the sides of the ball. The velocity is still taken as w
long range distances 20m to 70m, velocities of 15m/s to but the direction is denoted by z. The motion of the velocity
30m/s is a good standard. One objective of the player is to is this direction is denoted by V. The equation for the
flight the ball with just the right velocity to allow a change in velocity in this direction with respect to time is:
teammate to collect and control. If too much velocity is
applied this may be difficult. dv z
Other forces can play a pivotal role in the movement of = −α (v z − w)V , (16)
dt
the football in flight. Let us consider the effect of wind with:
moving parallel to the field’s plane having speed w along a
V 2 = u 2 + v 2 + (v z − w) .
2
parabolic path. The equations of motion would take the
form:
du Solving for α yields 0.015m-1 the above equation can be
= −α (u − w)V , (13) solved numerically. However, a simple procedure gives a
dt formula for the sideways deflection of the ball’s trajectory
which is accurate for most cases. The equation for the
dv forward motion is:
= α vV − g, (14)
dt
du
with V given by: = −α u V . (17)
dt

V 2 = (u − w) + v 2 .
2
(15) Dividing equation (16) by equation (17) gives:

Notice that the wind only affects the equation that relates to dv z v z − w .
the horizontal velocity component since it can act in such a = (18)
du u
way to either speed up the motion or slow it down. We will
assume that +w corresponds to a trailing wind and –w Integrating equation (18) gives the solution:
corresponds to a headwind.
Again we rely on numerical methods to solve these
⎛ u ⎞
equations. It is interesting to note if we make the v z = w⎜⎜1 − ⎟⎟ , (19)
transformation u − w → u′ and v → v′ , equations (13) to ⎝ u0 ⎠
(15) take the form of equation (10) to (12) which we are
already familiar with. We can see that u and v are replaced where u0 is the initial value of u and vz = 0 initially.
by u ′ and v′ . If the equations are solved for u ′ and v′ and The deflection z is obtained by solving:
dx′ dy ′
u ′ and v′ are calculated from dt = u′ and dt = v′ , then the dz
= vz .
required solution can be achieved using the inverse dt
transformations:
Hence, by using equation (19) for:
u = u′ + w , v = v′,
x = x′ + wt , y = y′. ⎛ ∫ t u dt ⎞ .
z = w ⎜t − 0 ⎟
⎝ u0 ⎠
We now present numerical simulations for both the
horizontal and vertical displacement of a football when the The deflection d, over the full trajectory is therefore:
angle to the horizontal is fixed and the initial velocity of the
ball is varied between 15m/s and 30m/s. This is done in the ⎛ R⎞
case of a trailing wind and a headwind. d = w⎜⎜ T − ⎟⎟ ,
Furthermore, we fix the velocity and vary the initial ⎝ uo ⎠
angle of the ball between 10° and 45°. In each instance, we
used wind speeds of 4m/s and 7m/s. Wikipedia has

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Jeffrey Leela, Donna M. G. Comissiong and Karim Rahaman
where T is the time of flight and R is the range. It is
important to observe that T and R are slightly affected by If we measure the rotation by the number of revolutions per
the side wind. A good approximation for d is obtained using second, f, then since f = q / 2π equation (23) becomes:
their values with no wind.
So far, we haven’t considered what transpires when spin V .
is applied. A force known as the Magnus effect describes R = 24 (24)
Cs f
such motion. When a football is spinning the deflection
caused by the Magnus effect displaces the ball in a
perpendicular direction to the spin axis. This is to say that, It’s is more natural to think in terms of sideways
if the spin axis is horizontal, the Magnus effect provides displacement of the ball as illustrated in figure 1 below. If
back lift and it the spin axis is vertical, the Magnus effect we approximate by taking the trajectory to have a constant
causes the ball’s trajectory to bend sideways. curvature then using Pythagoras’s equation:
With medium and long range kicking we are primarily
L2 + (R − D ) = R 2 ,
2
concerned with getting the ball to lift up high enough to
clear opposing players and travel the required distance.
Back lift produces this type of motion. Conventionally this and taking D << R so that D 2 is negligible:
force FL is given by:
1 L2 .
FL = C L ρ A V 2 . (20) D=
2 2R

Using equation (24) this becomes:

by analogy with the drag force given in equation (6) This
formula has its origin in aeronautics and the subscript L Cs L2 f
stands for the lift which would occur, for example, on a D= metres V in m s −1
48 V . (25)
wing. For our purpose this expression is somewhat
misleading because C L depends on both the spin and the
velocity.
For a spinning ball C L is proportional to q a / V provided
that q a / V is not too large and it is, therefore, convenient to
write:

qa ,
CL = Cs
V
FIGURE 1. Matematical construction for the trajectory.
where p is the angular frequency of the spin and is the
radius of the ball, then:
1 The time of flight is L/V and so the number of revolutions
FL = C s ρ A a q V . (21) of the ball during its flights is n=Lf/V. Substitution of this
2
relation into equation (25) gives:

Substituting for the air density ρ = 1 ⋅ 2kg m −3 , the radius D n .

= Cs
a=0.11m and the cross-sectional area A = 0 ⋅ 039 m 2 equation L 48
(21) becomes.
We have no direct measurement of Cs for footballs but
FL = 2 ⋅ 6 ×10−3 Cs q V
. (22) experiments with other spheres have given values in the
range 0.25 to 1 depending on the nature of the surface.
This sideways force produces a curved trajectory and the Taking Cs = 0.5 we obtain the approximate relation:
force is balanced by the centrifugal force
m V 2 / R, where R is the radius of curvature of the D n (The Science of Soccer John Wesson).
=
trajectory. Using equation (22) with the mass of 0.3969 kg, L 100
the resulting radius of curvature is:
For example, a deviation of 1 m over a length of 30 m
V . would required the ball to undergo about 3 revolutions.
R = 153 (23)
Cs q

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 Modelling the flight characteristics of a soccer ball

III. RESULTS

FIGURE 2. Ball trajectories for varying initial velocities (initial angle 10 degrees).

FIGURE 3. Ball trajectories for varying initial velocities with trailing wind 4 m/s (initial angle 10 degrees).

FIGURE 4. Ball trajectories for varying initial velocities with trailing wind 7 m/s (initial angle 10 degrees).

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Jeffrey Leela, Donna M. G. Comissiong and Karim Rahaman

FIGURE 5. Ball trajectories for varying initial angles with trailing wind 7 m/s (initial velocity 30m/s).

FIGURE 6. Ball trajectories for varying initial velocities with head wind 4 m/s (initial angle 10 degrees).

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 Modelling the flight characteristics of a soccer ball

FIGURE 7. Ball trajectories for varying initial angles with head wind 4 m/s (initial velocity30m/s).

FIGURE 8. Ball trajectories for varying initial velocities with head wind 7 m/s (initial angle 10 degrees).

FIGURE 9. Ball trajectories for varying initial angles with head wind 7 m/s (initial velocity30m/s).

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Jeffrey Leela, Donna M. G. Comissiong and Karim Rahaman

The following graphs show the vertical and horizontal

displacements of the ball when back spin is applied. The
amount of spin determines to amount of lift. First, we have
the code.

FIGURE 13. Vertical displacement vs number of revolutions

during flight.

IV. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

FIGURE 10. Initial velocity vs sideways displacement.
It is also important to note that the ratio of f/V appearing in
equation (25) is related to the ratio of the rotational energy
to the kinetic energy. This ratio is

1
I w2
ER 2
=
EK 1
mV 2
2
and since:
2
I= m a2
3
2
ER ⎛f⎞
= 0 ⋅ 32 ⎜ ⎟ , V in m s −1 .
EK ⎝v⎠
FIGURE 11. Initial velocity vs number of revolutions during
flight.
(
For the example, a ball travelling at 30 mph 13 ⋅ 4 m s −1 )
with a spin of 3 revolutions per second has a rotational
energy of 1⋅ 6% of its kinetic energy. Our results clearly
demonstrate the close link between our numerical
simulation and reality. The trajectories with drag force
acting against the motion of the ball will definitely affect its
range as seen in figure 2 and 3. It clearly demonstrates that
the maximum projectile range will not be achieved with a
launch angle of 45°. The results show that a trailing wind
will increase the range of the trajectory for the same
velocity and launch angle with just drag whereas, a
headwind will decrease the trajectory. This is quite
consistent with the laws of Physics.
The results obtained when spin is applied shows that the
ball bends perpendicular to the spin axis. If the spin axis is
perpendicular to the ground the ball deviates left or right
depending on if the rotation is clockwise or anti-clockwise.
If the spin axis is parallel to the ground, the spin has two
FIGURE 12. Vertical displacement vs sidedways displacement. forms. These are known as topspin where the ball is rotated
towards the ground or lift where the rotation is towards the
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 Modelling the flight characteristics of a soccer ball
air. The graphs show the more intense the upward rotation, [2] Drag force on a sphere. Consulted in;
the more lift is generated. This in turn has the effect of www.scribd.com/doc/5174368/Drag-Force-on-a-Sphere.
increasing the range of the trajectory. Soccer players utilize Accessed April 30, 2011).
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implement certain approaches in their training regime to Physics 51,357-362 (1982).
develop greater accuracy and efficiency in medium and [4] International Athletics Federation. Consulted in:
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the how the materials, design, size and shape used in 2011.
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www/k-12/airplanes/shaped.html. Accessed in: August 31,
2011.
REFERENCES [6] Soccer Ball Physics. Consulted in: www.soccerball
world.com/Physics.htm. Accessed in: April 30, 2011.
[1] Dunlop, J., Free Flight Aerodynamics of Sports Balls [7] Wesson J., The Science of Soccer, (Institute of Physics
(2003). Consulted in: uniaxe.com.au/.../Free%20Flight%20 Publishing, Bristol and Philadelphia, 2002).
Aerodynamics%20of%20Sports%2.Accessed in: May 10, [8] Magnus_effect. Consulted in: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
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