Introductory Blog: Welcome to My Senior Project Journey!

Hello everyone, 

My name is Ian Du and my senior project is about a soccer ball’s aerodynamics. In particular, I will study to see if different ball compositions and materials can affect how a ball travels after being kicked. I found this topic interesting as I have been following the sport for a while and wanted to do something related to sports. After learning more about how players complained about the soccer ball used in past World Cups, I eventually thought of this project. These balls include the 2010 Jabulani Ball used in South Africa along with the 2006 Teamgeist Ball used in Germany. Naturally, my curiosity grew, and my project will be able to compare these World Cup balls, such as the ones used more recently in the past World Cup through an in-person test. In this test, I plan to use a ball launcher at the same speeds and then monitor the movement of the ball through cameras. Through this test, I hope to see the difference in movement, if there are any differences, and deliver this news to the general community. I think this project is a unique way to view sports, along with being a great buildup to upcoming tournaments like the Euros and Copa America. Over the past week, I have been learning more about the physics concepts and effects that may play a part in the soccer ball’s movements such as the Magnus effect with the resources and books highlighted in my Senior Project Syllabus books previously bought for the project and recommended by my external advisors. Shoutout Professor Lan! I also went over the processes that NASA and other scientists used to test if the ball had unpredictable movement. Unfortunately, those require higher-level equipment that the general public cannot access such as a Wind Tunnel. However, I will try my best to control the environment where I perform my experiment to ensure the best result. 

See you next week!