How Are Volleyball and Physics Related?

What on Earth could volleyball and physics possibly have in common? Watching or playing a volleyball game is an excellent way to see the principles of physics in action.

Understanding physics can be tricky when you're just looking at a bunch of equations in a book. But by paying attention to the physics of sports like volleyball, those concepts become easier to grasp. Further, the athlete who understands the physics of the game has a definite advantage on the court. Here are a few of the basic principles of physics, explained through volleyball.

• Gravity: Gravity is the force that pulls everything toward the Earth. It is the force of gravity that keeps players feet on the ground, and what makes the ball hit the ground, allowing you to score a point. What goes up must come down.
• Work: Work is when a force moves an object. In volleyball, the force is the player and the object is the ball. When the player hits the ball, it moves in the direction in which the force has been applied. Hopefully, that direction will be over the net.
• Velocity: Velocity is the speed of movement. You can figure out the velocity of a volleyball shot by dividing the distance your ball traveled by the amount of time it took to get there. The higher the velocity, the tougher it is for your opponent to hit the ball back to you.
• Acceleration: Acceleration is an increase in velocity. Let's say you've just served the ball, it's gone over the net, and it's falling toward the ground. As gravity pulls the ball to the ground, it accelerates. If you gently lob the ball over the net and your opponent sends a hard spike back at you, that's another example of acceleration.
• Newton's Laws of Motion: Isaac Newton was a very smart guy who figured out a few rules that all objects in motion follow. These laws directly affect your volleyball game.

  Newton's First Law states that a body at rest stays at rest, and a body in motion stays in motion, unless it is acted on by an external force. This means that the ball will remain at rest, not moving, unless some force (such as a player) moves it. It also means that once you've hit the ball and set it in motion, it will remain in motion until it is either hit by another player or until it hits the ground.

  Newton's Second Law states that the acceleration of an object is dependent upon the force acting upon the object and the mass of the object. This means that the amount of force you use to hit the ball will affect how fast the ball goes. If you hit the ball hard, it goes faster.

  Newton's Third Law says that for every action there is a reaction. This means that hitting the ball with your hand will cause it to move away from you.

The next time you're playing volleyball, think about all the elements of physics involved. Without gravity, acceleration and Newton's laws, volleyball wouldn't be challenging at all.