Newton’s law of

motion in SPORTS
By: Marvin A. Aquino
Law of INERTIA
1ST Law
Law of Inertia
• A body at rest tends to remain at rest. A body in motion tends to continue
in motion with consistent speed and in the same direction unless acted
upon by an outside force.
• Basically, if an object is in motion, it keeps going unless something stops
it. What are examples of outside forces that affect inertia? Most anything
in the real world--gravity, the surface of the playing field, a defensive
player, or the braking action of an athlete's body to stop.
APPLICATION IN BASKETBALL
When a basketball player shoots, it would appear that there is
nothing to obstruct the ball. However, several external forces act upon the
ball. Were it not for these forces, the ball would continue to travel in its
current direction. First, gravity acts upon the ball to pull it down to earth.
The athlete must judge the force of gravity by the weight of the ball to be
able to find the right line of trajectory so the ball arcs into the basket. Air
also resists the ball in the form of drag. While not noticeable indoors, wind
can be a major factor during outdoor games.
Law of
ACCELERATION
2ND LAW
Law of Acceleration
The velocity of a body is changed only when acted upon by an additional
force. The produced acceleration or deceleration is proportional to and in
the same direction of the force.
If a baseball player hits a ball with double the force, the rate at which the
ball will accelerate (speed up) will be doubled. Football players can slow
down, stop, or reverse the direction of other players depending upon how
much force they can generate and in which direction.
APPLICATION IN BASKETBALL
The equation is expressed as Force = mass x acceleration. In
basketball, we see Newton's third law at work whenever a player shoots or
passes the ball. The basketball has mass, which means that the player
must use the appropriate amount of force when shooting or passing. Too
much or too little force applied in relation to the ball's mass and the ball
will not go where intended. If a basketball were to be substituted with a
bowling ball, for instance, the players would need to use much more force
to move the ball the same distance.
Law of
Counterforce
3rd LAW
Law of Counterforce
The production of any force will create another force opposite and
equal to the first force.

A swimmer propels herself through the water because the water

offers enough counterforce to oppose the action of her hands pushing,
allowing her to move. An athlete can jump higher off a solid surface
because it opposes his body with as much force as he is able to generate,
in contrast to sand or other unstable surface.
APPLICATION IN BASKETBALL
When the player takes a stride, they put force into the floor. Because
the floor has too much mass for the athlete to move it, the force travels
back to the athlete and propels him forward. Because the floor will apply an
equal and opposite reaction, whichever direction the athlete applies force
will be opposite to the direction force is applied back. If the athlete's foot
pushes the floor behind them, the force from the floor (called “ground
reaction”) will propel the forward. If the athlete quickly applies force
straight down, the ground reaction will propel them straight up and allow
the athlete to jump.
VIDEO PRESENTATION
Thank you!