Congratulations to Inaaya who won the Highly Commended Award for the Aged 15 category. Read more about how an understanding of the physics principles has impacted on Inaaya’s cricket and watch her entry below:
Through the years, as my bowling has developed, my coaches have taught me how to make my bowling more skilful. One strategy involves changing the direction of the ball using physics- the Magnus effect, explained as follows: A cricket ball has a textured seam. As it flies through the air after release from the bowler’s hand, it has a boundary layer of air around it. The seam creates one rough side and one smoother side.The rough disturbs boundary layer air flow causing turbulence on the rough side, with the smooth side remaining laminar, resulting in a pressure difference. This generates a side force causing the ball to change direction, often allowing the bowler to catch out the batter. My curiosity of physics, especially related to cricket has elevated my game play through implementation of physics principles.