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Circular and Projectile Motion in The Real World: Hammer Throw

Hammer Throw, along with other track and field events, were one of the first sports to partake in the Olympics. The idea of hammer throw and other field events is rather simple; for hammer, a 7.26 kg metal ball is attached to a 3 foot long steel wire and the thrower has to make the metal ball travel as far as possible. Olympic and professional hammer throwers have perfected the sport down to a science - and science it is.

To make the projectile travel as far as possible, the thrower must spin. Throwing shoes are worn to decrease traction and the hammer is outstretched while travelling in an orbital pattern as the thrower spins. 
According to Brian LeRoy, University of Arizona associate professor of physics, taking home the gold in the hammer throw requires three things from athletes: throw as close to 45 degrees as possible, spin faster, and keep arms fully extended.
LeRoy says, theoretically, throwing the hammer at a 45-degree angle is ideal.

University of Arizona hammers for track and field hammer throw
Grayson Fleming, a student at University of Arizona, has been hammer throwing for 3 years. Flemming takes a physics approach to hammer throw“. Flemming confirms that a 45 degree angle is ideal for throwing the hammer the farthest, but with air resistance, 42 degrees is a better option. 
Each time a thrower rotates around the circle, they’re accelerating and subsequently, increasing velocity, which in turn increases distance of the throw. Olympians tend to spin five times before throwing opposed to high school throwers, who tend to spin two or even one time. 

Applied Kinematics and Circular Motion 

The record for the men's throw at 86.74 meters. The speed can be calculated for this throw with a simple kinematic problem. It can be assumed that the hammer was released at a 45 degree angle and air resistance is negligible.
If the hammer is thrown with an initial velocity of 0 at an angle of 45° above the horizontal, this can be set up with a simple projectile motion problem. The only force on the hammer is the downward force of gravity (-9.8 m/s/s) in the 'y' direction.                                                                                         Acceleration in the 'x' direction is 0 m/s/s
                                                        
                                                         
Plugging the given information into the equation and solving for initial velocity, the speed of the hammer can be found. The Olympic winning hammer throw was released from the throwers hands at an initial velocity of about 29 m/s, or roughly the speed of a car on a highway. 
               Hammer range vs. angle released


In conclusion... 

Hammer Throw is an extremely physics 
intensive sport. Angle of release, the building
of acceleration and initial velocity by circular
motion, and extension are vital of Hammer Throw. 
A thrower has a few seconds to execute these 
components efficiently, and when done correctly, 
the projection of a 16 pound metal ball can reach 
up to 290 feet.


University of Arizona athlete demonstrates the physics of the hammer for the olympics
Visualized path of hammer in motion
Plugging the given information into the equation and solving for initial velocity, the speed of the hammer can be found. The Olympic winning hammer throw was released from the throwers hands at an initial velocity of about 29 m/s, or roughly the speed of a car on a highway. 



Olympic Winning Hammer Throw 















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