How does a knuckleball work, and what is a knuckleball? In this video I'll be explaining the science behind the knuckleball, a shot utilised by baseball players and footballing greats such as Ronaldo and Bale, and how this shot can possiblly work in the first place.
Sources:
mentalfloss.com/article/31005/...
thatsmaths.com/2015/11/26/lif...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10...
I Don't See the Branches, I See the Leaves by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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The knuckleball is a shot that has confused goalkeepers and batters alike for decades, and the underlying science of the knuckleball is really quite amazing. But how does a knuckleball work, and what is a knuckleball in soccer, or football?
One of the earlier theories that tried to explain how a knuckleball works was based on the fact that the balls used in baseball are covered in seams, and so the knuckleball effect would arise due to the turbulence that these seams created. This fails to explain how a knuckleball works in table tennis and football, as these sports use much smoother balls.
How does a knuckleball work without seams on the ball? The answer to this is down to the boundary layer theory, and the fact that a knuckleball effect is observed at a velocity known as the drag crisis. The drag crisis occurs when the air flow past the ball goes from laminar to turbulent, and it's this that gives the desired knuckleball effect. The boundary layer detaches from the ball intermittently on one side, causing a side to have turbulent flow behind it, and can then reattach and detach on the other side. This random process gives rise to a ball that can swerve randomly through the air, which is a knuckleball.
The science behind the knuckleball can be very complicated, but I hope that in this video, I can simplify this phenomenon and deliver an explanation as to how a knuckleball works in more simplified terms.