IA MATHEMATICS SL – IB Exam Study Guide COMPLETE 2023 THE PROJECTILE MOTION OF A VOLLEYBALL SERVE

INTRODUCTION: The following exploration investigates the projectile motion of a volleyball when being served. Since I have played volleyball for 5 years, I started wondering how the angle at which I hit the ball when I serve would have an influence on the trajectory of the ball. A good serve is one of the most important things in volleyball. Each serve is a potential point and having an idea of where to hit the ball at in order for it to land in the area where it is most difficult for the opponent to catch could be useful. In this exploration, this area will be assumed to be the middle of the court and close to the outer line as shown in figure 1. It will be the area that creates most confusion, as the opponents have to have good communication to decide on who is receiving the ball. The following exploration will investigate the angle at which I have to hit the ball in order for it to hit this aimed area, but also the range of the serving angle for it to pass the net and still enter the court. It will also explore the velocity and speed of my serve. BODY: To begin with, it is important to understand what projectile motion is and what it means. Projectile motion is a form of motion where a particle (called a projectile) is thrown obliquely near the earth's surface, it moves along a curved path under the action of gravity. The path followed by a projectile motion is called its trajectory. This trajectory resembles the shape of a parabola and can, therefore, be treated as a quadratic function. A Quadratic function is a function that can be described by an equation of the form