The Physics of Lacrosse

Recently, while filming a project for science class, I enlisted the help of my father. A former All-American high school defenseman and highly dedicated college player, Bernie Echavarri was very useful. My project was on the physics of different sports, and it was for the sport lacrosse in which I recruited the assistance of my father.

For the lacrosse portion of my project I connected the sport to Newton's three laws of motion. You can see below, in the table, how each law connects to the sport lacrosse. 

Newton's First Law: "An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." (http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-1/Newton-s-First-Law)
Newton's Second Law: "The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object." (http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-3/Newton-s-Second-Law) Simple version: Force x Mass = Acceleration
Newton's Third Law: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." (http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-4/Newton-s-Third-Law)

Newton’s First Law     Newton’s Second Law         Newton’s Third Law

When a passing or shooting, the ball continues to move in a straight path until acted upon by another player’s stick or by the back of the goal. Gravity is a big part in this system; gravity will gradually bring the ball back down to the ground if a player doesn’t get a chance to catch the pass. Or if the pass is off, or if it just doesn’t make it to the player. Whatever the circumstance, the ball will come down. If a ball is at rest in a player’s stick until the player starts to cradle, when the player starts to cradle the centripetal force will keep the ball in the pocket of the stick.

The force of the thrown ball will vary on its journey to the target The mass of the ball will always stay the same (is constant) The force the ball is thrown with will be directly affected by how fast the player is able to accelerate their stick. The stick holds the ball, therefore when the stick is accelerated, the ball is too

Without this law any pass thrown or shot taken would not be able to be stopped. When a pass is received an opposite and equal force goes against the incoming ball and is produced by the mesh of the stick The equal and opposite reaction will stop the ball and allow the player to catch it When shooting, the back of the goal provides the reaction which stops the ball from continuing When the defender checks the offender’s stick, an equal and opposite reaction occurs, and both sticks move in opposite directions (this law applies to checking too).

Videos to support this table:

1. My father shooting a lacrosse ball:

As you can see in these videos, the back of the goal stops the ball. However, what happens when the ball is not thrown into a goal, but just out into the open?

In these videos, you see that there is nothing stopping the ball. This is until eventually gravity pulls the ball down. 

Interesting Fact: When filming, my dad got a new personal record for throwing distance, throwing somewhere around 100 yards!

2. To further prove that gravity will bring the ball down, I had my father throw (with his stick) a lacrosse ball up in the air; I also threw (with my hand) a lacrosse ball into the air.

3. This is a video of my dad cradling. You can see that the ball is on the ground, and is not moving. This is an example of static friction. The ball will not move until an equal and unbalanced force (in this case my father) scoops up the ball, sending it into motion. 

After scooping the ball, my father draws it into a cradle, allowing it to stay in his stick.

4. Sadly, we did not get any videos of checking :(

This project was a lot of fun to work on, and I not only enlisted the help of my father, but also the help of some of my friends, thus adding a personal aspect to the project. Overall, I got clips of three sports, they were: Lacrosse (of course), field hockey, and archery. Out of this blog writing I want to send one message, so remember: 

If you learn the physics of a sport you play, the science behind it can help you improve.

Blank Screen

I’m staring at a blank screen, only it’s not blank now. Eleven words. Eleven words are now encrypted onto this screen. They’re easy to delete, sure, but it’s what comes after the deleting that’s the hard part. After the deleting of the eleven words that make this screen I’m staring at no longer blank, I must think of eleven more words. I must think of eleven words to form a sentence, to form clauses, to form phrases. I must think of eleven words whose parts of speech are adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns, and interjections. Who start with a letter a-z in the alphabet. Who are composed of a number of letters somewhere in the infinite amount of possibilities of numbers. If I delete the eleven words that I began this blog writing with then none of my elaboration on those eleven words would make sense. The elaboration on I’m, I’m staring, I’m staring at, I’m staring at a blank screen, none of it would make sense because those words, they wouldn’t exist, not encrypted into this screen. Not encrypted onto this screen that was blank before I wrote those eleven words.

Christopher Boone did not like to use metaphors, this was because his mind could not understand them. Christopher Boone had to know what exactly someone was saying when they said it. In some ways, my mind is like Christopher’s, but in others, it is not. My mind is like Christopher John Francis Boone’s in the sense that I think logically and with reason. But my mind differs from Christopher in the sense of visualization, and in the sense of metaphors, for I do understand metaphors. A metaphor is a figure of speech, and is in some ways like a mask. A metaphor is a word or a phrase that is used to compare two things, usually unalike. Things such as objects, ideas, feelings, and thoughts. Metaphors help me, they allow me to say what I’m thinking, but in a euphemistic way. You could say they just generally allow me to say what I’m thinking, good or bad. Rather than saying “I love you,” rather than saying “I hate you,” rather than saying “life is not fair” I would say euphemistic metaphor. Because that’s what I do, I use metaphors.

You can’t delete what you’ve done. Life isn’t a screen, life isn’t a piece of paper. Every living breath we take is history in the making. Our future leaders, our future loved ones, our future lives, they’re history in the making. They’re the past, they’re the present, they’re the future. You cannot delete the past. The novel you’re writing right now cannot be whited out. The future is yet to come, the enter key is above the shift key. So the metaphor in this all:

Eleven words, fifty one characters: “I’m staring at a blank screen, only it’s not blank now.”

The metaphor is this:

Our lives are not full of emptiness, but are full themselves.

I’m staring at a blank screen, and the metaphor is this:

Five words, twenty one characters: Where does my story begin?

Time

Nobody in this world is perfect. We’re all flawed, we all make mistakes, it’s a part of being human. Our personalities and traits make up who we are, and while some things may change as time goes on others never will. Emotions will evolve; trust to admiration; sadness to grief; anticipation to vigilance. People will leave, and others will betray us. Hearts will break, as will the bonds that hold us together. Musicians will become composers, geniuses will turn into scholars, and the world will continue to turn. The barriers that separate us will be broken down by the changing of the times, and much that once was will no longer be, as time moves on. There will always be discrimination, distrust, and disdain in our world, but as long as the sun is shining we are all one, and we are all mutable. And so time moves on, new relationships form, while others are torn apart. We are all subject to change, and will be, for as long as the earth travels around the sun our hearts will beat as one. There will be a day when the clocks will stop; that’ll be it. All the mistakes we’ve made and people we’ve hurt will come to light, but it’s not that time yet, we still have time. So as time moves on, as 12:00 turns into 12:01 and as our hearts still beat as one, remember that. Remember that we are all amendable, that our mistakes can still be fixed, and that everything happens for a reason. Time will continue, clocks will tick, hearts will click together in this world of wonder. And we; as people; as persons; as states; as towns; as countries, and as a world, are the ones who change it.

When I Was Little...

When I was little, I was different than I am today. Although some things have changed, others have not. Because my parents were always with me, we grew a close bond, which will never be broken. Because of my precociousness, I learned of certain characteristics and qualities, of which I will never break free from. If life was today like it was then, many things would be different, but it is not. Since I have been hurt so many times, concealment has overcome me, and I have opened both my heart and mind to few. Before thirteen, I was happier, healthier, and freer. Since an older age is upon me, I have realized the responsibilities I have to both myself and other people. Since I have grown older, I have become afraid of what lies beyond and what lies in front of me. Because we cannot go back in time, we must move forward. Because fourteen is fast approaching, my judgement will be further clouded, my heart further subdued, and my mind further manipulated. Since I am strong, I must fight for what matters, and become the person I am meant to be. When I am older, I aspire to be better than I am now. When I am older, true love will await. Until that time, I am going to find myself. Since every destination has a journey, the train will be leaving at five; come along for the ride.

Not Every Ending Has A Beginning

When I was little the world was a different place. While some things remain the same others have been modified to cope with the changing of times. Before confidence there was soliloquy; before openness there was shyness, and before trust there was concealment. As children we were in a state of oblivion, but as we grew we discovered the truth of our mundane society. How were our minds, once, so free? How did the world, in our eyes, change so quickly? How could everything we knew be gone as quickly as it came? Since we are now grown we are no longer oblivious; but are thrived; gregarious, and stigmatic. When I was little… where do I begin, and where do I end? Now I see clearly; there is no beginning to my story, no “when I was little,” I still am, as are we all. If we look at life for what it is we will see so much more than our perceptions. When we look back at our lives we will see; our lives weren’t just one big story, there were a combination of many stories. As long as we shall live, every day marks a new beginning; make it count.

Zealous Zoos

As of 2015 there are 41,415 endangered species in the world, and though this includes both animals and plants the majority of these are animals. Species that once thrived and were the center of wildlife are now decadent; invasive species have taken their place.There is, however, a way that populations are being saved. Zoos are beneficial for both animals and humans; they provide a natural habitat for wildlife and educational purposes for youth.

 

A recent article from the Saint Louis Zoo revealed that “about 21% of the world's mammal species, about 12% of the bird species and about 33% of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction.... Zoos are in a unique position to make a difference.” This evidence suggests that zoos can help those endangered animals, and according to Scientific America, they are. Zoos are “doing their part to bolster dwindling populations of animals still living free in the wild.” In addition, and also according to Scientific America, “dozens of zoos across North America participate in the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA’s) Species Survival Plan (SSP) Program, which aims to manage the breeding of specific endangered species in order to help maintain healthy and self-sustaining populations that are both genetically diverse and demographically stable.” As you can see from this informative statement, zoos have good intentions for  breeding animals in captivity; they are trying to save animals at high risk of extinction, and once bred species are ubiquitous again they can release them back into the wild. The animals are in good care; they are not being harmed, they are being nurtured and cared for, and thus we can say that this is a healthy environment for the creatures.  

For animals, a healthy environment is just as important as it is for us, and for me, a healthy learning environment is just as important as a healthy personal environment. For our youth, education, a process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, is critical, and zoos contribute to environmental educational purposes. Learning about our environment is a crucial component when it comes to learning, in first grade we learn about leaves and the wilderness and that is the building block for our mundane education. According to WAZA, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, “formal zoo education comprises education that is conducted in the framework of the educational curriculum of schools, colleges, etc. within or in relationship with the zoo or aquarium.” This claim suggests that zoos are not only beneficial for animals, but are also very beneficial for humans and knowledgeable for scholars, or students in general. Without zoos, our environmental education would be jeopardized, our cosmology would be compromised, and we as humans would not be able to study these creatures for their well being. Paradoxes wouldn’t be able to be proven specious, and non sequiturs about wildlife would be ubiquitous, as our knowledge of other mammals, amphibians, birds, fish, etc., would be greatly reduced.

Educationally and environmentally, zoos are extremely beneficial for animals, anthropoids, and ourselves. By maintaining these monstrosities we are not only succoring strangling species, but are gregariously greeting germane groups. So, the next time you’re at a zoo don’t think about it as a show, think about it as an opportunity. An opportunity for growth, an opportunity for redemption, an opportunity for greatness, an opportunity for making our environment what it once was once again.

Best Friends No More

Broken hearted, broken minded, broken. Believe it or not this is us. We’re in a state of isolation, we’re in a state of manipulation, we’re in a state of sorrow, we didn’t think about tomorrow.

Everlasting memories thrown out the door, everlasting memories thrown out on the floor, everything that meant everything to me, gone.

Sadness overcomes smiles, and secrets overcome sharing.

Time after time and text after text we were truculent. I do not know what will come next.

Friendship meant everything to me, everything when it was just you and me.

Round and round, up and down, I never knew which way the roller-coaster would next turn.

Instantly everything changed, instantly we were playing a new game.

Endless epiphanies ending our interpretations.

Narcissistic and naive you were. I was the red herring, you were the Machiavellian.

Deceptively you deceived me.

Sophisticated was I, surreal were you.

Nothing will ever change the way I felt about you and I.

One friendship went a long way.

Maine is majestic, you are hectic.

Only time will tell, where you will really dwell.

Righteousness should be justified.

Endings come, what’s done is done. Friendship is a funny thing, you were flagrant, I was fastidious, and I’m moving on.