You are here: Home > Simple science > How to bend it like Beckham... >
How to bend it like Beckham...
It’s easy to think that once you have given a ball a kick it will carry on along the direction you kicked it until it hits something. A famous scientist called Isaac Newton said that things will continue moving in a straight line unless acted upon by a force.
But as the ball travels through the air there are a number of forces acting on it. Gravity pulling it down, and air resistance, or drag, as it moves forward.
By kicking the ball slightly off centre you give the ball some spin as well as its forward motion. When the ball starts spinning through the air a small cushion of air spins with it. This spinning air - along with the movement through the air - gives us a lower pressure on one side of the ball than the other. The resulting force makes the ball bend round — to the left if you kick it on the right side, and to the right if you kick it on the left side.
For more information and an animation of what’s happening see:
www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/football
So what…?
Well, apart from the ability to score a winning goal with a sneaky bending ball, this same effect is used in golf. The dimples on the golf ball help grip a small cushion of air. A golf club is used to give the ball back spin and this spin gives the ball extra lift.
