The history of the frisbee
Frisbee dates back all the way to the 1940s when Sir Fred Morrison conducted experiments on flying discs. He experimented with many different materials and later found that plastic worked the best for flight and lift time in his study. In 1955 the Wham-O company purchased the rights to Mr. Morrison’s molds. However it wasn’t until the early 1960s that frisbee become all the rage. It is thanks to Fred Morrison’s brilliant mind that we now have games like Ultimate frisbee and frisbee golf. (Bellis, 2014)
When the disc was created it was created to influence flight, gravity and air. Gravity acts on all objects the same way accelerating their masses downwards at 9.8m/s^2. The frisbee was designed to make gravity have a tougher time pulling the frisbee to the center of the earth. Due to the way the frisbee was designed (with a rim and a hollow underneath), once in the air it creates lift and angular momentum which causes the frisbee to have more of a floating look to it. Lift is generated by the frisbee’s shaped surfaces and the way they pass through air. If the frisbee maintains an angle slightly turned up it allowed for the air above the frisbee to move faster than the air below it. Therefore there is a lower air pressure on top of the frisbee. The difference in pressure results in the frisbees ability to lift. (Science Buddies, 2012)
When the disc was created it was created to influence flight, gravity and air. Gravity acts on all objects the same way accelerating their masses downwards at 9.8m/s^2. The frisbee was designed to make gravity have a tougher time pulling the frisbee to the center of the earth. Due to the way the frisbee was designed (with a rim and a hollow underneath), once in the air it creates lift and angular momentum which causes the frisbee to have more of a floating look to it. Lift is generated by the frisbee’s shaped surfaces and the way they pass through air. If the frisbee maintains an angle slightly turned up it allowed for the air above the frisbee to move faster than the air below it. Therefore there is a lower air pressure on top of the frisbee. The difference in pressure results in the frisbees ability to lift. (Science Buddies, 2012)
Data collection
My data was collected outside my house using a video camera. When calculating the angle the frisbee would be thrown at for my kinematic equations I used a protractor to measure 30 degrees before the player threw the frisbee. To know exactly what distance the frisbee travelled I put chalk on the frisbee and where the player was standing so I could then use a measuring tape afterwards to calculate the distance travelled. I calculated the amount of time the frisbee was in the air by using a stopwatch. My rough data is provided on lined sheets of paper that were handed in with this website.