Tuesday, November 18, 2008

FRISBEE PHYSICS How does physics play a role in Frisbee flying?

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* How does a Frisbee fly?

* Why is a Frisbee shaped the way it is?

* What would it be like to compete in a world championship Frisbee competition?

* How fast and how far can a Frisbee go?

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Discussion
In the late 1940s Fred Morrison performed some experiments with flying discs. Some of the discs he experimented with were made out of metal while others were formed out of a new material called plastic. In 1955 the Wham-O Company purchased the rights and molds from Morrison. It wasn't until the early 1960s when Frisbees became the rage. Whamo-O's former General Manager Ed Headrick provided the organization and groundwork for the growth of the Frisbee craze. Today organized competitions take place each year around the world culminating in the World Frisbee Competition in California.


Here's a link for people who want to explore the physics of a flying frisbee - I'm sure there's quite a few of you who will like this. This can be a cool activity for teachers or for people just wanting to teach their own kids and use the frisbee disc as a tool. Have fun!
More about flight

2 comments:

P.I.E. said...

My new book on WHAM-O and its founders, Spud Melin and Rich Knerr, was just released. It's called WHAM-O Super-Book: Celebrating 60 Years Inside the Fun Factory and in it I pay tribute to Fred Morrison, Ed Headrick, the Pluto Platter and Frisbee. I know Frisbee is not the disc of choice in disc golf now, but this small piece of plastic really has entertained millions of people, spawned Disc Golf, Ultimate, Disc Dog, Guts, etc. and changed the toy landscape. Amazing.

discndat said...

Hey Tim. The book sounds pretty good. Yeah, frisbees are the choice of disc golfers nowadays but many are still interested in the beginnings of the frisbee world. How can we get your book. I might want to carry it in our shop. Like I said I'm sure there are some people who are interested.