Can sports survive without science? This is an interesting question that can attract different views and it can be debated. Since time in memorial sports has embraced science and as a result, sports has improved drastically over the years. Science in sports is applied from designing of fields, gym equipment’s, balls and sporting equipment . It is true to claim that sports and science are inseparable since sports need technology for its betterment. It is important to analyze the impotence of Newton's first, second and third law, force and acceleration gravity in sports. Various sports that people participate in are an example of Newton’s three laws at work. There are two kinds of motion; angular and linear and the two work in amalgamation when applying the mechanics of sports. The paper will analyze how Newton's first, second and third law, force and acceleration gravity impact sports.
First Law: Inertia
The influence an external force has on an object at rest or in uniform motion constitutes inertia. The object’s resistance to deviation from inertia is usually dependent on its mass (Kielmas, 2018). In the real world, more so in sports, inertia is usually manifested in several ways, both by sporting objects and the athletes themselves. The surface, usually of a playing field acts as an external force that impacts a change in an object. Inertia also comes into play when an athlete is running in any given direction and suddenly brakes bringing the body to a stop or in anticipation of a change in directions. Regardless of whether the object is static, such as an athlete standing motionless in one position, or dynamic such as an athlete in motion; the first law of inertia is manifested.
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Second Law: Force and Acceleration
At times, the second law is perceived as the most complicated of the three laws. This law largely explains the relationship between the change in speed of an object, and the force acting upon it. The force implied to in this case is the object’s mass multiplied by its acceleration (Kielmas, 2018). This law is experienced in our day to day lives in various ways. However, specific to sports, force, and acceleration is manifested very well in baseball. We experience the law of acceleration which asserts that the velocity of a body is only changed when enacted upon by an additional force. The result of the force imparted on the object is the acceleration or deceleration and is proportionate to and in the same direction of the force ("Newton's Laws of Motion in Sports," n.d.). The larger the force impacted the higher the acceleration or deceleration, and vice versa. In baseball, the batter stands in the batter’s box. The pitcher then heaves the baseball towards the batter with maximum velocity. With high precision and high accuracy, the batter connects his bat with the oncoming baseball, instantly changing the baseball’s speed significantly. This bat impacts a force on the moving baseball, thereby altering its speed. The magnitude of the force imparted by the bat determines whether the ball will increase in speed or slow down, i.e. acceleration or deceleration is achieved.
The third law, action, and reaction states that there are zero isolated forces
This law is sometimes referred to as the law of counterforce . Counterforce happens when the production of a force is countered by similar force which is equal but opposite to the original force. The third law of motion manifests its self in basketball since it involves action and reaction forces As a player is bouncing the ball downwards the ground exerts equal force but in an opposite direction making the ball to bounce back. Players could not walk or run without the third law of motion. As players run or walk forward the ground exerts a similar force in an opposite direction known as frictional force. Moreover, during swing the swimmers are able to move through the water because of the counterforce that the water offers; the counterforce opposes pushing yet the swimmer is able to move. Athletes can perform long jump by leaping from the ground since equal opposite forces are on the ground that enables an athlete to perform a long jump. Imagine being an unstable ground made up of sand soil; counterforce will be there but not as great as that of a stable solid ground. There are several incidences that depict the third law of motion; kicking a football , for instance, validates Newton’s third law. One thing that is certain is that the different kind of sports that is known to mankind be it gymnastics, track and field, hockey basketball and football uses not less than one of the three law of motion.
Center of Gravity (COG)
All bodies have an imaginary point around which their weights are evenly distributed. That point is referred to as the center of gravity (COG). The human body segments have movable joints, whose rotations can cause movement in the in the mass of the segments, there greatly cause changes in the overall COG of the body. COG is of the essence in comprehending balance and stability, because gravity considerably affects sports maneuvers and techniques ( Coad et al . 2015).
The force of gravity tends to act downwards through the body, directed towards the center of the earth and along the body’s COG. Balance is critical when sporting, and should be maintained successfully for positive results ( Coad et al . 2015). Understanding how this line of gravity is oriented is important to well understand and visualize the necessity and ability of a body to successfully maintain Balance. The line of gravity must always be within the Base of Support (BOS) to stay balanced. One must always change the body’s position whenever the line of gravity falls outside the BOS so as to regain balance and stability. Balancing a quash racket is usually simpler, as its COG can be identified using a finger.
References
Kielmas, M. (2018, January 30). What Are Some Examples of the Laws of Motion? Retrieved from https://sciencing.com/examples-laws-motion-5315417.html
Newton's Laws of Motion in Sports. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sports-training-adviser.com/lawsofmotion.html
Coad, S., Mclellan, C., Whitehouse, T., & Gray, B. (2015). Validity and reliability of a novel salivary immunoassay for individual profiling in applied sports science. Research in Sports Medicine , 23 (2), 140-150.
