Golf Ball Painting

Balls — February 21, 2015 · 50 Comments

Golf Ball Painting

A fun way to paint using golf balls … paint … paper and a bucket. For more early learning resources please visit http://www.childcareland.com.
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This is a fast, non-technical explanation of the basic aerodynamics of modern golf balls, for those who wonder why golf balls have dimples.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

50 Comments

  1. Thanks for your insights! It sounds like you have greater expertise on
    fluid dynamics than I do.

  2. You must not have ever played golf. When you “top” the ball you create a
    forward spin rather than a backward spin. It loops over very quickly and
    hits the ground quickly rather than rising first. The normal back spin
    creates the favorable imbalance in the air pressure, which gives it lift.
    Thus spin makes a big difference. Is there a reduction in drag due to
    dimpling? You may be right. All the better for the golfer! It seems to be a
    more complicated question to me.

  4. @TheSecularAdvocate I believe “the fact the ball is spinning that makes
    dimples so useful” is exactly what Davidson1956 is trying to portray in
    this video. I also believe Davidson1956 is trying to explain that when
    placing a backspin on the ball, the dimples in turn magnify the magnus
    effect.

  5. @thoughtheglass I have had two papers in aerodynamics published, and I
    presented my findings last year in Munich, I am a space industry engineer,
    and unfortunately the ‘explanation’ is deeply flawed.

  6. If you wish to talk about applied spin, aero-turbulence, von karman
    modulation or lift (Cl) or the observed effects of a ball with applied spin
    changing direction in mid air (e.g. a ‘David Beckham free-kick’) you should
    read the papers regarding this by Euler, and have a firm appreciation of
    the Bernoulli effects, (plus gyro rigidity and Coriolis). I cited these
    papers in my thesis Euler was the man, cut out the spin and lift nonsense
    in the vid and its fine, almost.

  7. @jk28416 You’re not impressing us with your fancy explanation. I’m a
    mechanical engineer and you are not getting your point across by using
    engineer buzzwords like Coriolis effect and Bernoulli and Euler. This man’s
    explanation is accurate. The boundary layer, with more stagnant air
    molecules, is being drawn around the ball in the direction of spin,
    creating a high pressure zone with more molecules than the other side,
    creating aero lift.

  8. Great question! I wish I had someone like you in each of my classes. Ping
    pong balls are not glossy smooth. They have a tiny bit of roughness to
    their exterior, plus they also pick up a little dirt. That would cause no
    curve to speak of for a golf ball made with a similar cover, but the mass
    of a ping pong ball is so slight in comparison that it takes very little
    difference in air pressure to make it curve.

  9. This is a professor of mathematics, i would take what he has to say very
    seriously unless you’ve just had a paper on an overlapping toppic in
    aerodynamics published that he hasn’t read.

  10. @zlovering : You are absolutely right. Thats the reason why the skaters
    wear rough surfaced sleeves.. The hand is a bluff body and the rugged
    surface causes the turbulence which can sustain separation of the flow.

  11. Well that explains the effect of spin + dimples. What if we leave out the
    spin factor? Which one has a better aerodynamics? Smooth or dimples? Which
    ball goes farther without spinning?

  12. So I watch an episode of Mythbusters and they actually increased the MPG of
    a car with dimples on the body. Makes me curious as to the application of
    dimples in the hydrodynamic world. Any opinions to water craft applications?

  13. I just watched your video again, it is complete rubbish, why did you ever
    make it? what you say conflicts even with real world assumptions, I like
    your videos on maths but this is a bit crazy.

  14. Well, you’re very persuasive. And to think that a PhD physicist and best
    selling physics textbook author liked my explanation and was thinking of
    adapting it for use in his next textbook. Perhaps you can enlighten us as
    to why all of it is so utterly wrong?

  15. @TheArfdog I said read the paper, I’m not using ‘Engineering buzz words’
    The dimples decrease drag and the interaction of the flow of air with a
    moving surface induces forces, which isn’t technically lift, if you want
    you can e-mail me and I will ref. the exact papers by Euler. The dimples
    have nothing to do with the forces induced by the spin of the ball.

  18. I would like to get all this right, but I won’t be able to shoot a new
    video until sometime in September. What puzzles me is that you have not
    mentioned the Magnus effect. Doesn’t the spin impart a major influence on
    the trajectory, and don’t the dimples magnify the Magnus effect? Thanks for
    your insights!

  19. thanks for the easy explanation. Last time somebody tried explained air
    pressure and lift to me I was completely confused

  20. thank you soooo much. I had to do a math project on golf and i needed a
    good explanation on golf and this is one of the best I have found. Thank you

  25. I was taught the dimples create turbulent flow, surrounding the ball in a
    layer of turbulent flow. The rest of the air over the ball is laminar flow.
    There is little drag exerted by the laminar flow on the turbulent layer
    causing is to fly further. 

  34. oh man I really love this. I´m going to try this for sure, my little
    cousins are gonna love it.

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