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Posted
15 minutes ago, Draconator said:

 

Can you calculate that for me? (I dropped out of Math in 10th grade). 

 

Can't be done, though I'd be glad to if the variables were know, because the math is pretty simple.

The problem is that a football, when dropped, thrown or otherwise released, presents a drag coefficient to the atmosphere.

In order to calculate the 9.8 meters per second squared until terminal velocity, you have to have the values for that drag coefficient each  millisecond.

One could argue that that is true until terminal velocity is reached, but that is a  specious argument, since terminal velocity is only precise as the ball presents itself to the atmosphere, ie,. a spiral would have a greater terminal velocity than a spinning in a horizontal plane ball.

Either way, I'm guessing that it is about 100mph, not much different that a major league fastball, and sighting it would be harder than catching it.

Whatever, I'm kind of sick of Gronk.

 

 

 

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Posted
11 minutes ago, sherpa said:

 

Can't be done, though I'd be glad to if the variables were know, because the math is pretty simple.

The problem is that a football, when dropped, thrown or otherwise released, presents a drag coefficient to the atmosphere.

In order to calculate the 9.8 meters per second squared until terminal velocity, you have to have the values for that drag coefficient each  millisecond.

One could argue that that is true until terminal velocity is reached, but that is a  specious argument, since terminal velocity is only precise as the ball presents itself to the atmosphere, ie,. a spiral would have a greater terminal velocity than a spinning in a horizontal plane ball.

Either way, I'm guessing that it is about 100mph, not much different that a major league fastball, and sighting it would be harder than catching it.

Whatever, I'm kind of sick of Gronk.

 

 

 

 

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Posted

I have no doubt the ball reached terminal velocity, and that it is not an impressively high number.

 

But that isn't what makes the catch impressive IMO.

 

A football is not an ideally designed aerodynamic object and I assume it was just dropped laterally, with no spin.

 

It would almost certainly have been darting and moving around like a knuckle ball on the wind, coming down from the equivalent of a 60 story balcony.


I'm surprised Gronk could judge where to be standing and keep up with the jerky movements of the ball in order to catch it, along with whatever speed it was traveling at as well.

 

I'm guessing it was like 60 or 70 mph tops.

 

So not "slow" exactly, but the raw speed is not the impressive part of the catch.

 

 

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Posted
2 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

 

It would almost certainly have been darting and moving around like a knuckle ball on the wind, coming down from the equivalent of a 60 story balcony.

 

 

No reason to assume that.

Probably no wind during the time of flight.

Posted
4 hours ago, teef said:

i came here to post exactly this. 

 

 

***** him...right in his ear.

There once was a man from Nantucket ...

Posted
4 hours ago, RiotAct said:

would have been a shame if he got nailed in the head instead of catching it

Football would end up in the hospital in critical condition.

5 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Leodis McKelvin: "Hold my beer...oops!"

Upon further review:

"Hold my beer...oops! (beer to aide)...oops!" (football)

Posted
4 hours ago, RiotAct said:

would have been a shame if he got nailed in the head instead of catching it

 

 

If he had tried this  decades ago and failed, it would explain A LOT! 

 

 

Unfortunately, he wasn’t there when we needed him to save the birds!!!

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Posted
5 hours ago, TH3 said:

Until air drag overcomes A...which likely happened and means V was not that impressive. 

 

A human terminal velocity is like 120 mph...I bet a foot ball is way less

 

Update - Terminal velocity football somewhere between 60-70 mph.......so.....the whole thing is BFD

Hell, our QB can throw that fast...

Posted
6 hours ago, sherpa said:

 

Wouldn't need to.

The old formula still applies.

On earth, a free object accelerates at 9.8 meters per second squared.

Simply time the fall and you'll have the velocity.

 

Dropped from a helicopter I'm neither assuming the football was entirely free falling or the exact distance traveled.   Doesn't sound like the event was set up to meet those specifications. 

 

 

Posted (edited)
7 minutes ago, Iiiiiiiiive Got a Feeeelin said:

He fumbled the first 2. and then caught one from a helicopter? i dont get it.  But, yeah man his parents must be sooo proud

lol. no doubt!
Is your profile pic the late, great Mr. Zappa?

Edited by foreboding
Posted

He could probably set another record for surviving a 600 foot drop by landing on his head.

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Posted
9 hours ago, sherpa said:

 

Wouldn't need to.

The old formula still applies.

On earth, a free object accelerates at 9.8 meters per second squared.

Simply time the fall and you'll have the velocity.

well you got the first part right. 

Forgot to take into account wind resistance (drag), which will put a cap on velocity.  In a free falling skydiver the terminal velocity is around 160mph, no more acceleration after that.

I'd say an american football probably maxxes out around 60mph depending on spin. 

About as hard as Josh throws his fastball, which is cooking.

 

The hardest part of that catch I think would be the knuckle ball effect when the rotation slows or stops, thats probably why he whiffed on a few (either that or Gronk was drunk, maybe a little of both)

Posted
10 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Leodis McKelvin: "Hold my beer...oops!"

The words are wrong

 

Leodis McKelvin: "djdjnbsgw dkdjj wyaercigh"

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