Реферат: Science Fair Report Golf Ball Essay Research

Science Fair Report Golf Ball Essay, Research Paper

Introduction

This year I have decided to test a question that has been an interest of mine for quite awhile. I am going to try to find the perfect set of materials for a golfball to give the ball the most carry. I have chosen this specific topic because of its personal interest to me. I have and always will be an avid golfer. But like most weekend duffers, I would like to gain an extra edge on my opponents an since I m too lazy to actually go take lessons or go out and practice four times a week, I have chosen to use my science expo project as a way to improve my golf game. So first off I d like to give you some background information so you will be able to understand my project better.

Background Research

-Introduction

The question I am trying to answer is “Do the materials of which a golfball is made of have an effect on how far the golfball travels.” In order to answer this question I had to conduct research to further my knowledge and understanding of golfballs. Here I have compiled the information I have thought most useful and set them in a format so that people reading this could better understand my ideas through my research.

-Golfball Covers

There are a myriad of items which golfball covers are now made of. Materials such as Balata, Surlyn, Zylin, and Elastomer are some of the materials which are used to create the outside shell for golfballs. Balata, being the smallest of these materials, is made out of a natural rubber. Surlyn, the most durable cover, is the most used cover of them all. It revolutionized the way golfballs were produced when it was introduced twenty years ago. Most companies which manufacture golfballs either use Surlyn or some material which is similar. The Balata cover provides more spin than most of the other covers. This provides more control over the ball the a player who likes to have maximum feel and control. Many of today s regular golfers have turned to more durable covered balls because an occasional mis-hit will not damage the cover of the ball as easily. This information helps me to understand how the cover of a golfball may effect my test results. If I use three kinds of balls that have Surlyn covers and then use a Balata covered ball, it will in fact destroy my analysis because I will have based my conclusion on falsified data, deeming my project inconclusive.

(http://www.savingsolutions.com/ballinfo6.html, 2001)

-Golfball Pieces

One piece golfballs are perfect for a beginner and are most commonly used at diving ranges. This type of ball is usually made from a solid piece of Surlyn with dimples forged into it and is rarely if ever used as a playing ball. This type of ball is inexpensive, quite durable and has a softer feel when it makes contact with the club, however, this type of ball gives you less distance because of its low compression. A two piece ball is frequently used by the typical weekend duffer because it combines durability with distance. This kind of ball is generally made up of a single solid core enclosed by the balls cover. The two piece is almost indestructible and has a great roll distance. It is by far the most popular golfball among everyday golfers. The three piece ball which have either a rubber or liquid center covered by many yards of elastic windings over which is molded a cover. Three piece balls, also known as “Wound” balls, are softer and therefore allow more spin than either the two piece or one piece. These balls are typically more easy to control for higher skilled players. The proceeding information helps me considerably. It shows the how the materials of which a golfball may effect how the golfball handles. Therefore, when I am finished with my project, I will be able to refer back to here and see if my data supports my research here. This research gives me a good idea of what to expect during my project.

(http://www.savingsolutions.com/ballinfo8.html, 1998)

-Golfball Aerodynamics

This article shows the development of the golfball over time, from the Featherie to the Hammered Guttie to the Three piece Titleist DT Spin. It shows how the modern dimple pattern of today is used to decrease the amount of drag that the ball has to overcome while flying through the air. The dimples have quite a great task in helping the golfball reaching its maximum distance. They make sure that there is the least possible amount of air sticking to the ball so that the ball may fly its maximum span of distance. This helps me to further understand how the design of a golfball helps the golfball to fly. It aids me in understanding my project more so that when I conduct my actual experimenting, I know what might effect my results and how to control these things.

(http://www.savingsolutions.com/ballinfo4.html, 1997)

(http://www.titleist.com/htm/tech/aero2.asp, 1998)

-Possible Explanation

I found this article in Golf Digest. It is actually more of an advertisement for the new Nike Tour Accuracy ball. It shows how Nike s new ball, which is composed of a “high density polybutadiene solid core surrounded by a conductive ionomer transition layer sheathed in a soft yet durable polyurethane cover,” is just plain better than the three piece wound ball. It gives data and statistics to prove there point and gives quotations from interviews to prove its point. This article may not be useful in really understanding a how a golfball works or how I should conduct my experimentation, etc.; this advertisement tells me straight forward that the materials in a golfball do greatly effect the golfball. This is the answer to my question. It is all backed up by data and shows how a ball that has some sort of wound elastic or rubber bands does not meet the standards which the new Nike Tour Accuracy ball has set. My only question now is; how greatly do the materials of a golfball effect the distance and/or spin of the ball.

(”If you re a wound ball, Sorry.” March 2001: 1-2, 2001)

-Golf Range Activity

This activity helped me to better understand the concept of drag. In this activity you were able to choose the force with which you hit the golfball and the angle at which you hit it. There was a hole set a certain distance away and you were to try to get the ball in the hole (just like on an actual course). However, you had the option of playing with a ball that had the dimples in it which would be more aerodynamic and fly further, or you could play with a ball which had fewer or no dimples in it and therefore had more drag. This is useful to me because it helps me to understand further how a golfball works and why its shaped the way it is. The format this learning tool was put in was also very helpful because instead of sitting here and reading some article on the Internet for fifteen minutes, I was able interact with the forces which make a golfball fly and therefore show my understanding of the concept of drag.

(http://www.explorescience.com/activities/Activity_page.cfm?ActivityID=19, 2000)

–Golfball Compression

At first compression was used to determine golfball quality. It was actually used to reference the tightness of the windings around the center of the core of a three piece ball. This created an illusion that compression effects the distance and performance of the ball. Since the technology of the three piece ball has grown steadily, golfball compression has merely become a condition of feel.

Also with the new availability of a good consistent two piece ball, compression has become an archaic way of measuring the quality of a golfball. “Today the word compression relates to a certain value placed between the number 0 and the number 200. Each ball is given such a number which tells how much the golfball s shape changes under constant weight.” As each three piece and some two piece balls are produced they are exposed a regulation weight. “(http://www.savingsolutions.com/ballinfo7.html, 1997) A ball which does not compress under this weight is given the number 200; a ball that compresses 2/10ths of an inch or more is rated zero. Between these two extremes, for every 1/1000ths of an inch that the ball compresses, it drops one point from 200 and the compression rate is then established. Most balls have compression rates around 80, 90, or 100. Not every ball that says 80, 90, or 100 actually has a compression rate of 80, 90, or 100. Balls can fall within three to five points of these ratings. These balls are then usually sold to driving ranges or marked as x-outs.” (http://www.savingsolutions.com/ballinfo7.html, 1997) It has been said that compression relates more to the feel of the golfball and your own superstitions than to the actual performance of the ball on the course. Studies have shown that if you take balls, rated at different compression values, which have the same cover, construction, cover material, etc., and use an automatic golf swing machine, the yardage between each ball is not enough to be significant. In fact the differences between each golfball was less than two yards. Thus this information consoles my ideas on compression. I thought ball compression might play huge factor, during my testing, as a variable. I was unaware that balls had different compression rates until I started researching and talking to people about my project. I am glad to find out that previous testing shows that differences are negligible between golfballs with different compression rates. I found this information also quite intriguing. I had always wondered why some golfballs were x d-out, and where driving ranges got there balls. However, I now wonder why companies, such as Titleist, x-out such balls if studies show that compression makes almost no difference in the distance the average person can get out of the ball.

(http://www.savingsolutions.com/ballinfo7.html, 1997)

-Summary

I hope you have found my research most interesting and enlightening. I m regret to say that I would have been able to conduct more research and maybe be able to do a better job had the fateful event of the underwater cable snapping, which cut off all Internet services, had not occurred. However, I m sure that this information will do quite well for now. I would just like the fact of the Internet being down taken into consideration when the grading of this research summary is done.

–The Role of Variables

--> ЧИТАТЬ ПОЛНОСТЬЮ <--