How does the soccer ball curve?

When kicked with the correct technique, the soccer balls are able to make turns in the air due to the Magnus effect – phenomenon hydrodynamic very interesting related to the pressure exerted by air currents on the ball.

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Why does the ball curve?

When a ball is kicked, it wins velocity and he canrotate around its center. Extended bodies rotate when they are subjected to forces that are applied far from their center of mass. The ball's direction of rotation means that, on one “side”, its rotation is in the same direction as the air flow, while the other side rotates in the opposite direction.

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O principleinBernoulli, developed by physicist and mathematician Daniel Bernoulli, says that the pressure exerted by a fluid, such as air, is inverselyproportional to speed: ie the faster the air moves, smaller will be the pressure exercised by him.

Some players make use of the Magnus effect for penalty kicks to be less predictable.

The "side" of the ball that spins in favor the air flow receives less pressure than the other “side” of the ball. As a result of the differenceinpressure, a force arises that makes the ball move spiral, giving rise to the famous curves used by experienced players to score corner goals, also known as Olympic goals.

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See the figure below. In it we can see the flowinair and the movement of rotation of the ball. the part higher of the ball rotates in the same direction as the air flow, and the friction of the air with the ball plates causes the air velocity to be bigger than at the bottom of the ball. This causes a differenceinpressure similar to that which appears on the wings of planes, creating the lifting force.

Kicks with effect that have gone down in history

• In the 1994 World Cup, in the match between Brazil and Holland, left-back Branco kicked from the middle and scored a very important goal, guaranteeing Brazil's place in the semifinals;

• At the Confederations Cup in 1997, Roberto Carlos scored a beautiful goal with an effective kick against France;

• In the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, Brazil's game against England was marked by the winning goal scored by Ronaldinho Gaucho;

• In 2016, the Malaysian player Hohd Faiz Subri,29 years old, won the award Puska, delivered by FIFA, for scoring a goal with an incredibly curved shot, being considered the most beautiful of the year.

By Rafael Hellerbrock
Graduated in Physics

Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:

HELERBROCK, Rafael. "How does the soccer ball curve?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/fisica/como-bola-futebol-faz-curva.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.