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A review of recent research into aerodynamics of sport projectiles

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An Erratum to this article was published on 26 May 2013

Abstract

A review of aerodynamics research connected to sport projectiles is presented here. The review’s focus is on work conducted in the current millennium, though deference is made to some classic work still invaluable to modern research. Besides serving as a resource for seasoned scientists and engineers, this article is especially geared toward young investigators who are just beginning careers in sport science. Basic and sophisticated methods are discussed, including vacuum physics, air drag, lift, numerical approaches, trajectory analysis, wind tunnels, and computational fluid dynamics. Eighteen sports are discussed with an eye to future research.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Matt Carré for providing me with some pertinent articles. I also thank Jay Gerlach for providing me with journal access at his university. Thanks to Matthew Jones and Michael Solontoi for reading an early draft and offering helpful comments. I am also grateful to reviewers for valuable suggestions.

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  1. Department of Physics, Lynchburg College, 1501 Lakeside Drive, Lynchburg, VA, 24501-3113, USA

    John Eric Goff

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Goff, J.E. A review of recent research into aerodynamics of sport projectiles. Sports Eng 16, 137–154 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-013-0117-z

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