Post-Secondary | AYVA Educational Solutions

Physics in Soccer: World Cup 2022

The 2022 World Cup has officially begun, and there’s never been a better time to explore the physics of soccer (or in Europe, football) with your students! From predicting the outcome of a crossbar challenge to understanding the science behind Ronaldo’s famous knuckleball free kick, physics plays an important role in determining which team rules the pitch.

Throughout the World Cup, we’ll be sharing soccer-themed content to help you bring the excitement of the World Cup into your physics course. In our first segment, we’ll explore the physics of soccer’s most infamous pre-match event: the crossbar challenge.

The Physics of Soccer: Crossbar Challenge

The crossbar challenge is a popular pre-game competition held between players from opposing teams. To compete, players take turns kicking soccer balls into the crossbar of a goal. The player who hits the crossbar the most wins the crossbar challenge. Seems simple enough, right? Well, not exactly!

In reality, the crossbar challenge is, well, challenging. The average player is lucky to land two of their five shots, which makes the five-for-five performances of superstars like Neymar Jr. all the more impressive. In fact, Neymar’s success in crossbar challenges is so repeatable that it begs the question: what is Neymar doing that other soccer players aren’t? (Check out this video to see Neymar demonstrate his technique in a crossbar challenge against two other professional soccer players.)

As it turns out, there is a secret to Neymar’s success: physics! When a player kicks a soccer ball, its landing position is largely determined by both the aerodynamics of the ball and the angle, direction, and velocity of the player’s kick. If we ignore aerodynamics for a moment (more on that later), then the crossbar challenge becomes a real-world example of projectile motion.

Incorporate the World Cup into your physics course with these soccer-themed projectile motion problems! Download the student worksheet for free below.

Celebrate the World Cup with these Soccer-Themed Practice Problems!

Download the free Physics in Soccer student handout and answer key below.

1. While warming up for a match at the World Cup, Neymar challenges Aleksandar Mitrović to a crossbar challenge. Both players must take their shot 11 meters away from the goal, but the angle and speed of their kicks can vary. The crossbar is 2.4 meters above the ground. Assuming air resistance is negligible, answer the following questions:

a. If Neymar kicks the ball at a 40° angle, and it takes .87 seconds to hit the crossbar, what must the initial speed of the ball be?

b. Mitrović launches the ball at a 41° angle with a velocity of 18.4 m/s. It flies through the air, passing 1 meter above the crossbar. How long is the ball in the air?

c. Challenge Question: The next round, Mitrović kicks the ball with an initial velocity of 21.0 m/s. Determine the minimum and maximum kicking angles required for the ball to make contact with the crossbar.

2. During a World Cup match, Lionel Messi kicks the ball at a 45° angle from ground level. It reaches a maximum height of 3.2 meters and lands 22.7 meters down the pitch. Assuming air resistance is negligible, answer the following questions:

a. What is the initial vertical velocity of the ball?

b. How long does it take for the soccer ball to reach the ground?

c. What is the initial horizontal velocity of the ball?

3. When the soccer ball leaves the field during a match, a corner kick is performed to restart the game. To perform a successful corner kick, the player must kick the ball at just the right angle, so that it bypasses opponents and lands near teammates. During a practice session for the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo makes a corner kick at a 42° angle, launching the soccer ball with an initial velocity of 26 m/s. Assuming the ball travels with projectile motion and air resistance is negligible, answer the following questions:

a. At what time does the soccer ball reach its peak height?
b. What is the maximum height reached by the soccer ball?

4. While practicing for the World Cup, Kylian Mbappé kicks the ball from the ground at a 41° angle. As the ball launches with an initial speed of 28.5 m/s, an opponent 54 meters away at the opposite side of the soccer field begins running to get the ball. What is the average speed he must maintain in order to make contact with the ball just before it hits the ground?

File Attachments

	Physics in Soccer: Projectile Motion Problems – Student V	File Size: 81.32 KB
	Physics in Soccer: Projectile Motion Problems – Editable	File Size: 37.64 KB
	Physics in Soccer: Projectile Motion Problems – Answer Key	File Size: 55.11 KB

Engineering in Canada

Most Canadian Universities today offer a four-year or five-year engineering degree program. In addition, many community colleges also have full time engineering technology programs. There are various engineering majors that students can choose from depending on their interest including: aerospace engineering, process engineering, architectural engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, etc.

Currently, there are 42 higher learning institutions in Canada offering engineering programs. Would-be engineers are encouraged to visit Engineers Canada. It’s an invaluable resource filled with up-to-date information.

Women in Engineering

In 2008, there were 223,536 registered engineers inCanada – and data suggests that the number is rising. However, the number of women in engineering remains low. For example, only 7% of all licensed engineers in Ontario are women.

The enrolment of women in Canadian undergraduate engineering programs was at 17.7% in 2010, which is slightly higher than the number from 2009. Various studies conducted over the last few years have shown that women in the engineering profession highlight the importance of mentoring and professional development as part of their career development. Various workshops are continually being held to retain more women in the engineering fields. Companies such as AYVA Educational Solutions offer products that allow an interactive learning experience for all students.

Engineering Educational products

AYVA Educational Solutions distributes products for engineering education at the college and university level. The products allow students to not only grasp the conceptual knowledge but also get an understanding of the industry standards for when they are in the workforce.

For a more basic understanding of engineering concepts, ourPASCOline offers introductory educational products. Visit our PASCO Engineering catalogue for more information. We also carry more extensive engineering lines for undergraduate labs, namely TecQuipment (TQ) and Elettronica Veneta (EV). Our products focus on various subject areas including but not limited to structures, material testing, electrical engineering, electronics, chemical engineering, renewable energy, etc.

Working with TecQuipment’s Wind Turbine Dynamics Apparatus

Last Friday, I was given the opportunity to take a trip to Centennial College alongside a colleague of mine to help a group of professors with the assembly of the TecQuipment AE1005V Wind Turbine Dynamics Apparatus. The apparatus is comprised of a bell shaped mouth and honeycomb to reduce turbulent airflow, a silencer to reduce excessive noise, an anemometer to record wind speed, and a digital display for pitch, yaw, fan speed, and turbine speed, all of which are adjustable. We arrived at the campus early in the morning, where we met with our contact at the school. He led us through the college into the machine shop and we began to assemble the AE1005V.

The assembly process was very simple and easy to follow from the provided instructions. Once the silencer is removed from its stowed position and fastened to the back of the apparatus, we connected the Control Cabinet to a power supply and opened the sliding door to attach the fins to the turbine. We then connected the apparatus to a laptop which was running the Versatile Data Acquisition System, or VDAS, which automatically collects data, calculates experiment parameters, and allows the user to create graphs and tables for the collected data. Once the fins were secured and the security door was closed and locked, we began to experiment with the fan speed, pitch, turbine speed, and anemometer. This data was also digitally displayed on the Control Cabinet.

Now that the apparatus was fully set up, we began to work through the first experiment to determine the influence of pitch angles and turbine speed on the coefficient of performance and power generated. As a future environmental engineer hoping to specialize in air hydrology, I was really grateful to be able to have a hands on experience with this kind of equipment. The option to switch out the included turbine fins for ones that have been 3D printed by students made the AE1005V even more interesting to use, with students being able to create and test different fin designs to determine optimal performance, and this really piqued my interest.

Eventually, I would like to spend more time using and learning about the AE1005V Wind Turbine Dynamics Apparatus, and other technology like it, and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to speak with the professors about what they plan to use theirs for throughout the upcoming fall semester.

AYVA Partners with York University for the New Bergeron Centre

AYVA is pleased to partner with York University to provide state-of-the-art training systems from TecQuipment. Both York’s Mechanical and Civil Departments at the Lassonde School of Engineering have recently been outfitted with a broad range of teaching equipment from TQ including structures and material testing to fluids and aerodynamics.

There are no lecture halls in the new Bergeron Centre at York. All of the courses are being taught in the labs to better foster experiential learning.

The new Bergeron Centre in York’s Lassonde School of Engineering

Thompson Rivers University Installation of Pignat Control Trainers

Thompson Rivers University’s (TRU) Instrumentation students now have access to a brand new process controls lab, fully outfitted with 12 PIGNAT CEB/2000 units.

The multi-process control trainers were installed and commissioned earlier this year by PIGNAT engineer Regis Rodriguez.

The equipment will move to the brand new Industrial Training and Technology Center once it is completed in 2018.

The CEB/2000 unit was custom-designed for the needs of TRU’s Max Tinsley and is now available as a standard model from PIGNAT.

TRU’s Instrumentation and Control Technician Apprenticeship Faculty Member Max Tinsley

New trades apprenticeship cuts BC wait time

PASCO’s Python Library

The PASCO Python Library lets learners, educators, and hobbyists take full control of their PASCO Wireless Sensors using Python code. Visit us on GitHub to download the PASCO Python API, browse sample code, and review tips for getting started.

Why Python?

Python is used in schools and universities around the world.
It’s simple, readable, and flexible, making it ideal for both beginners and experts.
Python resources are readily accessible thanks to its global community of creators, collaborators, and problem-solvers.

Python vs. Blockly

Blockly is an easy-to-use, block-based programming platform available in both SPARKvue and PASCO Capstone. Unlike Blockly, Python is a text-based programming language that is independent from PASCO software. This library lets you bring Python into the PASCO ecosystem for complete control of your data. With Python, users control all aspects of sensor data collection, from sensor connections and sampling rates to data displays and custom analytics.

Visit us on GitHub to view instructions for getting started and browse sample code for Python projects.

Compatible Sensors

//code.Node
Smart Cart
Wireless Acceleration Altimter
Wireless CO₂
Wireless Conductivity
Wireless Current
Wireless Diffraction

Wireless Drop Counter
Wireless Force Acceleration
Wireless Light
Wireless Load Cell
Wireless Magnetic Field
Wireless Motion
Wireless O₂

Wireless Optical Dissolved Oxygen
Wireless pH
Wireless Pressure
Wireless Rotary Motion
Wireless Temperature
Wireless Voltage
Wireless Weather

System Requirements

Operating Systems: Windows, Mac, Linux (Raspberry Pi)
Bluetooth 4.0+
Python version 3.7-3.10
IDE of your choice (VSCode, PyCharm, etc)

Example Projects

Temperature Alarm

Use a Python text to voice plugin to narrate temperatures out loud.

View Code on GitHub

Smart Cart 3D Plot

Create an 3D plot using values from the Smart Cart.

View Code on GitHub

University of the Fraser Valley’s Automation and Robotics Lab

Last week, AYVA’s Jason Peng visited the University of the Fraser Valley’s (UFV) Automation and Robotics Lab where he had the opportunity to see two of KUKA’s KR6 Robots in action.

The pair of KR6 robots await orders from a remote computer with a programmed script of their operation.

UFV’s robotics instructor Avner Bachar awakens one of the robots to showcase what his students have programmed. In a matter of seconds the robot boots up and begins motioning, the actuators can be heard working the 6-degrees of freedom, and the sound of pneumatic hisses activating the vacuum gripper that Avner and his team cleverly devised using a 3D printed adapter. The robot then begins its job of picking and placing cups on a bottling station where it puts an empty cup onto a conveyor, waits for the cup to be filled, empties it into a reservoir tank and stacks it.

Avner notes that graduates have gone on to work in industry, anywhere from brewing companies to PLC control for egg-sorting in local farms.

Who knew robots could have such a delicate touch.

University of Calgary’s Mixed Adsorption Desorption PIGNAT Installation

Last week, Regis Rodriguez, the product specialist from Lyon, France was onsite to commission the new Mixed Adsorption Desorption: Gas & Liquid Adsorption, the latest addition to their state-of-the-art labs. Paige’s labs already boast a Spray Dryer and a Controlled Reverse Osmosis from this world-class industrial manufacturer.

AYVA has partnered with PIGNAT to equip Chemical Engineering as well as Environmental Engineering Labs at colleges and universities across Canada. Customers appreciate the quality and industrial components but what impresses them most is PIGNAT’s willingness to customize the products to best suit their needs. Educators can choose whether to be trained in France or to have an experienced chemical engineer from PIGNAT conduct on-site training.

Click here for an overview of PIGNAT’s training equipment.

Mixed Adsorption Desorption: Gas & Liquid Adsorption
Spray Dryer
Controlled Reverse Osmosis

The Beauty of Periodic Motion: A Capstone Observation Experiment

As a third-year Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Guelph, learning throughout this pandemic has been especially difficult, but why? It’s all the same materials. The same teaching style. I can even choose my learning environment and mitigate distractions.

For me, the biggest thing that has been missing throughout this pandemic has been experimentation, but more specifically, labs that push students to apply their knowledge to their own observations or to the world around them. During this pandemic, I took a course called Biomechanics as an extracurricular. Without a doubt in my mind, this course ignited my passion for practical application. Students were required to observe, collect, and write three different labs, all centered around the biomechanics of crutch walking. After learning to use a goniometer, force plate, EMG sensors, and 3D modelling software, students then created their own biomechanics experiment.

This is where the real learning begins.

What does this have anything to do with harmonics or even Capstone, you may ask? The point I am trying to make is that you can throw complicated laws and theorems a student’s way. However, they won’t understand it until they begin to connect these laws to the world around them. Every student has asked, “When will I ever use this?” but rarely do you ever find a student who seeks the question “How does this affect the world around me?” As such, I wanted to pose a simple question that pushes students to connect their knowledge outside the classroom.

What are some examples of harmonic motion in your daily life?

This question is really nothing special, but it can be easily observed and analyzed with little to no equipment. For this example, I used PASCO’s Capstone Software going frame by frame to analyze the motion of various objects and graphing the vertical position (meters) versus time (seconds).

The first example of harmonic motion was the spinning of a bicycle wheel, which was suspended to have no contact with other objects. Three different examples of periodic rotation were observed using the Capstone software and a bright green piece of tape.

The green line represents a graph that has no brakes applied, the blue line represents a system with light braking pressure, and the red line represents a system with full braking.

From the data collected, it was observed that as the brake pressure is increased, the period of the oscillator decreased. This trend is essential for students to understand as it raises the question of braking distance and the effects of friction on a periodic oscillator.

The next example of harmonic motion was car suspension. The system represents a driven harmonic oscillator as most car suspensions will be critically damped or have some sort of dampening. For this experiment, I highly recommend filming the oscillation in real-time with an additional light source. The top of the spring was tracked throughout the cycle and plotted on a vertical position vs. time graph.

The blue line represents the effect of the applied force on the vertical position (meters) of the spring vs. time (seconds).

As a final example of harmonic motion, the E-String of a guitar was filmed using the slow-motion setting on a phone, shooting at about 960 fps. String harmonics are incredibly difficult to capture, and for a more accurate measurement, I highly recommend the use of a slow-motion camera. As an alternate example of harmonic motion, I recommend a swing, metronome, or any pendulum clock.

This graph represents the vertical position (centimeters) of the guitar string vs. time (s).

Laboratory experimentation is usually very equipment-heavy, which prevents students from observing the effects of the laws and theorems on a day-to-day basis. The difficulty of tracking time, position, or other factors removes focus from the real learning and can often times impede a student’s understanding. The best way to foster a student’s understanding is through their own curiosity.

Heading Back-to-School with AYVA’s Jason Peng

What better time of year to visit schools than right before the students

return. AYVA’s Western Territory Manager, Jason, recently came back from a

series of visits in Manitoba and Alberta. As you can see, many of the

schools were still as busy as ever hosting young scientists. As part of

their summer camp program, the University of Calgary led little campers

through a series of demonstrations, including the PIGNAT Spray Dryer. JM and

Paige have also worked hard to offer some recommendations to make the unit

even better. We rely on the great feedback from our customers and friends to

continually improve our solutions.

In Winnipeg and Brandon MB, many faculty members were just returning back

from vacations and it was a great time to reconnect after some relaxation.

We hope that the summer has refreshed and reinvigorated all you educators

out there for the start of the new school year. Our entire team at AYVA

welcomes you back and we look forward to reconnecting soon.