DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL

STATE UNIVERITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEG OF EDUCATION
Agoo, La Union

PROJECTILE MOTION:
BASKETBALL’S TRAJECTORY

Submitted by:

Estoque, Beverly S.
Ferreol, Chris Kyla E.
Laplana, Janrey
Soquila, Raisy E.

Submitted to:

Mr. Brian Adams V. Bugarin

INTRODUCTION

Basketball is a game played between two teams of five players each on a

rectangular court, usually indoors. Each team tries to score by tossing the ball through
the opponent’s goal, an elevated horizontal hoop and net called a basket.(Britannica).
In this game, players from College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and College of
Fisheries (CF)played for the bronze medal in the basketball in the school's Campus
Olympics. The game started in favor of CF, The trajectory of the ball was observed
when a player from the CAS make a free throws. Shooting a free throw involves
distance and deviation, distance can be determined by two factors: Launch angle and
Launch speed (Silverberg, 2018). The player from the CAS successfully executed his
free throw by adjusting his launch angle just enough to launch it in the ring that gives
them a point.
When starting a projectile motion problem, the first thing to do is think about
the trajectory of the object. In other words, consider the direction the object is
moving. Is all of the motion vertical, like an object falling to the ground? Or is the
object launched or thrown at some angle? It helps to draw out the trajectory if it isn’t
already given to you. Even an approximation can be helpful in visualizing the
situation. You’ll want to determine your starting point, end point, and the path of
travel.

OBJECTIVES

The researchers aims to:

1. To observe the Projectile motion and trajectory of the ball during basketball game
specifically during a free throw;
2. To analyze the factors influencing ball trajectory and projectile motion during
shooting to gain insights into the physics involved, and
3. To overall understand the physics behind the trajectory and projectile motion of the
ball.

PROCEDURE
1. Proceed to the basketball court and stay in place that provides a clear view to
watch the trajectory of the ball during the game.
2. When a player make a shot, record it by taking a pictures and videos of the
ball being launched in the basketball ring.
3. Watch the basketball game and observe the movements of the ball and
instances wherein it was shot and when it was not. Observe the angle of
projection and the trajectory of the ball.
4. Edit the videos recorded in slow motion to observe the trajectory of the ball
and to determine the path and the variables affecting the projectile motion,
 such as shots, launch angle, position, and path of the ball to ensure a detailed
analysis.

STEM RELATED

Basketball is probably one of the sports in which the parabolic motion is most
noticeable and is more frequent during the phases of a game. The player must try to
throw a ball into a basket that is placed at a much higher level than his or her own.
The trajectory of the ball is a function of two motions, namely the uniform motion at
oblique speed, to make the ball go up, and the uniform downward motion caused by
the force of Earth’s gravity. When a basketball player launched the ball and adjusting
his launched angle the ball follows a parabolic trajectory. To increase the probability
of scoring the point, it is necessary to raise the apex of the parabola well above the
basket (which is located at 3.05 meters), thus increasing the shooting angle and
imparting greater force.

Force
Any action that tends to maintain or alter the motion of a body or to distort it. The
concept of force is commonly explained in terms of Isaac Newton’s three laws of
motion set forth in his Principia Mathematica. (Britannica)

Projectile motion
The motion of an object thrown or projected into the air, subject to only the
acceleration of gravity.

Newton’s first law

An object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will remain in motion at
a constant speed in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force. (Britannica)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Figure 1 and 2 shows the motion of the basketball when the player make a free throw.
The angle of the projection is about 45 degrees, which is the expected angle to
execute a successful free throw. Since it was executed in an angle of 45 degrees the
player successfully executed the free throw. The trajectory of the ball creates a
parabolic path from the player’s hand until it reaches the ring. The parabolic trajectory
of the projectile which is the ball during the free throw confirms that principles of
physics such as projectile motion can also be observed in sports and can be applied in
the components of the game. The players can improve their skills by knowing how
physics works in the game, for how the ball travels in their desired place in order for
them to be able to adjust their distance and angle of projection.
 Figure 1

Figure 2

ANALYSIS

The angle and initial velocity taken during the shooting, plays a vital role, so
that a perfect shooting could be achieved. Shooting a free throw involves distance and
deviation, distance can be determined by two factors: Launch angle and Launch speed
(Silverberg, 2018). The player from CAS executed the free fall by adjusting his
launched angle and by jumping to launch the ball into the basketball ring and by that
he get a point. This work has been conducted to determine the optimal throwing angle
and initial velocity that a player should take to get the best shooting. Launch angle is
simply the angle at which you launch the basketball towards the basket (Silverberg,
2018). So, the best angle to shoot is having the player arm straight out and parallel to
the floor is a 0-degree angle. Having his arm straight up pointing to the ceiling is a 90-
degree angle. Halfway in between these two extremes would be a 45-degree angle.
So, the distance from the goal and the release height of his shot determines the ideal
launch angle for a slow-moving ball at the rim. Furthermore, Newton’s Law of
Motion can describe the motion of the ball. In, his first law, Is stated that an object at
rest remain at rest and object in motion remain in motion unless force was acted on it.
In the game the projectile (ball) before it was launched it remains at rest however after
the player applied force it was launched in the air; Since there is gravitational force it
did not remain in motion, the velocity of the ball decreases until it reach its maximum
distance.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the player in the basketball game during the DMMMSU Campus
Olympics applied physics in determining the trajectory of the ball since he
successfully executed the free throw by launching the ball in the air through the
basketball ring. He adjusted his launching angle to throw the ball, the angle of the
launching ball determines the accuracy of the ball in motion wherein the lower the
launch angle the lower the chance it will reach the ring, and the higher the angle the
higher the trajectory of the ball the more accuracy it will be shot in the ring since the
ring is in a high place. Furthermore, For free throws, an angle of about 45 degrees
relative to the horizontal plane is considered optimal. This angle balances the
horizontal trajectory of the ball with the vertical height required to clear the rim,
increasing the chances of scoring. As the player is able to change the speed of the ball,
he first throws it and directs its course, which is parabolic. Overall, studying projectile
motion trajectories is not only an interesting application of physics but also a valuable
tool for athletes aiming to improve their game accordingly, with athletes continuing to
incorporate STEM-related principles into their training and performance.

REFFERENCES

1. Di Maria, G. (2022). The law of physics in basketball. Retrieved from :

https://www.eetimes.eu/the-laws-of-physics-in-basketball/#:~:text=The%20trajectory
%20of%20the%20ball,it%20follows%20a%20parabolic%20trajectory
2. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2023, November 5). Newton’s laws of
motion | Definition, Examples, & History. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/Newtons-laws-of-motion
3. Fisher, B. J. (2018). Straight Shooter: A Game-changing New Approach to
Basketball Shooting. United States: Fisher Sharp Shooters, LLC.