[time-nuts] OT: Not pendulums or atomic clocks or gravity - the answer

[Palfreyman, Jim L]

Since this is off topic I better give you the answer. It is nothing to
do with compression or friction, it's way simpler. 

The ball does reflect off at 45 degrees and go straight up *with respect
to the club*. This is all to do with frames of reference (sound
familiar?). The club is moving around 150 km/h as it hits the ball.

To make it easier don't imagine the club rotating in a circle, but
imagine a club head approaching a ball linearly along the ground at 150
km/h. As it hits the ball the ball will go straight up relative to the
club head which is still moving at 150 km/h (well close, but let's not
go there...) after the collision.

Another way to look at it is a car driving at 150 km/h and hitting a
basketball on the windscreen. Assuming a 45 degree windscreen the ball
will go straight up relative to the windscreen. To the outside observer
the ball will move forward with the car. To an observer in the car it
will go straight up.

Now what about the reason why scales don't work on carpet...


Jim Palfreyman

-----Original Message-----
From: Palfreyman, Jim L 
Sent: Wednesday, 30 May 2007 11:36 AM
To: time-nuts at febo.com
Subject: [time-nuts] OT: Not pendulums or atomic clocks or gravity

Since you have all enjoyed this discussion on rotating non-inertial
frames of reference so much, here's another one for you.

In golf, a typical pitching wedge has an angle of 45 degrees. Since
angle of incidence equals angle of reflection why doesn't the ball
bounce off the club, go straight up and hit you in the face? (A good
golfer would hit it 100m.)


Jim Palfreyman