Tokyo 2020: Visualizing the Magnus Effect in Golf
Golf returned to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio and is back for the Tokyo edition. Golf balls -- with their turbulence-promoting dimples -- are a perennial favorite for aerodynamics explanations because, counterintuitively, a dimpled golf ball flies farther than a smooth one. But today we're going to focus on a different aspect of golf aerodynamics, namely, what happens when a golf ball is spinning. (Image credit: top - M. Spiske, others - N. Sakib and B. Smith; research credit: N. Sakib and B. Smith, pdf) We're celebrating the Olympics with sports-themed fluid dynamics. Learn how surface roughness affects a volleyball serve, see the wingtip vortices of sail boats, and find out how to optimize rowing oars. And don't forget to come back next week for more! Read the full article