Projection Angle of Football

When a body is projected into the air it becomes a projectile. Projectiles can either be inanimate objects such as a basketball, discus, or a football or could also be animate bodies such as a high jumper, a diver, or a gymnast. There are several factors that determine projectile's motion: projection speed, projectile angle and height. The angle of projection and the forces of air resistance determine the shape of the trajectory of a projectile. For example, a football the kicker must be aware of the angle of projection of the ball since it will determine the trajectory of the ball (height and distance). In most instances, the angle of projection is determined from the measured initial horizontal and vertical velocities of the projectile. By knowing the two velocities we can construct a right triangle and then apply the tangent function to determine the angle of projection.