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System:
Ping Pong Shot
Description:
A ping pong ball is thrown from one end of a table into a solo cup at the other
end.
Model:
The ball is tossed from a height h with a speed Vo at an angle of Θo. The ball
lands in a cup at the other end of a table of length L. There is a clearance of C
between the release height and the ceiling. The ball travels on a trajectory until it
lands in the cup at time T at an angle of Θf with respect to the horizontal.
ceiling
Θo
Θf
h
L
Assumptions:
1. The ball is tossed towards the cup exclusively in the xy-plane; there is no side
to side deviation.
2. Air resistance is neglected for simplicity. Prior versions of the model
attempted to include air resistance but became needlessly complicated very
rapidly. Due to lack of air resistance, wind and ball spin have no effect.
3. The ball is thrown directly into the cup; bounce shots are not included.
4. The player releases the ball from the edge of the table and is targeting a cup
at the other edge. To accommodate release points above the table and/or
cups not at table edge, simply redefine L as the horizontal distance from
release to the cup.
5. The ping pong ball can be considered a particle concentrated at its center of
mass for the mathematical analysis.
Limitations
1. The human body cannot throw a ball at specified velocity with the exact
precision and perfect accuracy. Knowledge of the best shot provides only a
target value from which there will be certainly be deviations.
a. There will be deviations from the xy-plane which are not considered in
the model.
b. As Θ0 goes to 90° a deviation ΔΘ has a larger and larger impact on the
trajectory deviation. Distractions will increase deviations.
c. This limits the applicability of any model and the deviations must be
minimized when applying.
2. The model is only valid so long as air resistance can be neglected. Air
resistance has a more significant affect as speed approaches terminal speed
and hang time increases.
a. As speeds near terminal, the model becomes less applicable.
b. As hang time increases the model becomes less applicable.
3. The model will only be applied to shots which keep the above criteria
minimal.
3. The model must be applied indoors where wind and drafts are negligible. This
introduces a further constraint on the trajectory, limiting the maximum height
to the ceiling height.
4. Bounce shots are not included.
5. Spin is not included.
Qualitative Analysis:
When a ping pong ball is thrown, it has a horizontal and vertical velocity,
depending on the initial angle that the ball is thrown at.
Quantitative Analysis:
1. Vo may be expressed in terms of components VXo and VYo.
VXo = VocosΘo and VYo= VosinΘo and tanΘo = VYo/VXo
FBD:
mg
Θ(t) = Arctan[VY(t)/VX(t)]
VY(t) and VX(t) can be substituted into the expression from step 2. V Xo and
VYo can be replaced by Vo and Θo using equations from step 1 to obtain Θ(t,
Vo, Θo).
5. The ball will land in the cup if x(t) = L and y(t) = 0 where t is an arbitrary
time. Therefore, t is the hang time of the ball.
- x(t) = L may be solved for t then used in y(t) = 0
- y(t) = 0 can be solved for Vo(Θo)
- Vo can then be substituted into the expression for t to obtain t(Θ o)
6. Plug t(Θo) and Vo(Θo) into Θ(t, Vo, Θo) from step 4 to obtain Θf(Θo)
8. Analyze.
Constraints
1. -90°< θF < 0°
• The ball must have positive x component of velocity therefore -90°< θF < 0°. Also
the ball must have negative y component velocity on decent therefore
• θF < 0 => -90°< θF < 0°.
2. -tan-1(h/L) < θ0 < 90°
• The ball must be thrown towards the cup so -90°< θF < 90°. The minimum angle
must be -tan-1(h/L). Near this angle an initial speed approaching infinity is required.
3. T > 0
• The ball must be airborne for some finite positive time.
4.
• Where ‘c’ is the distance from the release point to ceiling, this is so the ball doesn’t
hit the ceiling.
5. V0 ≤ 5.17 m/s to neglect air resistance
Standard Values
g = 9.8 m/s2
L = 2.44 m (Regulation Pong Table Length)
h = 0.82 m (Average human shoulder height minus the table height)
c = 1 m (Indoors average ceiling height minus average shoulder height)
Standard Constraints
Applying above values to previously listed constraints.
1. -90°< θF < 0°
2. -16.7° < θ0 < 90°
3. T > 0
4. θ0 ≤ 62.2°
5. 3.5° < θ0 < 69.5°
Consolidation of Constraints
3.5° < θ0 < 69.5° h ≈ 0.82 m
-90°< θF < 0° L ≈ 2.44 m
T>0 c ≈ 1.07 m
V0 ≤ 5.74 m/s