Learning From A Golf Ball

Projectile motion of objects, in the absence of air friction, is studied in dynamics classes and textbooks 2, . In this study students learn about the effect of air drag on the projectile’s height and range. In the process of achieving an understanding of the effect of air friction on projectile motions, students, in dynamics class, learn how to utilize programming features of Math-Cad software to solve a system of non-linear, first-order, time dependent, ordinary differential equations. Students also learn about the application of difference equations and Runge-Kutta method to obtain a solution for a system of nonlinear, first-order, time dependent, ordinary differential equations. Physical understanding of effects of air resistance on a golf ball’s trajectory is achieved by comparing the results of these different approaches with the result of motion in the absence of the air drag.