A small group at San Marcos High is doing the JPL challenge; a machine that kicks a football into a trashcan 5m away, over a 2m barrier. I am enjoying advising the students on the project!
I find it very helpful to do little tests like this, so that if we were to calculate the metrics of this motion, we will have a real life verification of our math model, or point out where it is deficient.
This was a good shot, maybe a little low, but just about dead on the 5m distance. Students can make measurements from this video for angle of inclination (look to the bookshelf in the background for a vertical line reference), and determine acceleration of the ball and the velocity of Mr. Bradley's fist at impact. The video is shot at 300 frames per second, so check what frame rate your computer is playing, divide 300 by the frame rate to get the time factor.
