Abstract
THE late Prof. Tait was probably the first to bring scientific principles and methods of experiment to bear upon the mystery of the flight of a golf ball. Newton, in a pregnant note on the deflection of a tennis ball in air, gave the foundation principle, which curiously enough both Euler and Poisson rejected as of no account. Robins and (later) Magnus experimented on the effect, but it was left to Tait to work out the problem in detail. His papers on the rotating spherical projectile virtually form a new chapter in the dynamics of rotation. In these papers, and elsewhere in more popular form (e.g. in NATURE, vol. xlii. p. 420, 1890), he lays down clearly the conditions which must be fulfilled if a man is to drive a far and straight ball. Slicing, pulling, topping, are all completely explained along the lines of Newton's remark, numerical tests are supplied, and various possible curves of flight are calculated out and drawn.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
K., C. Science in Sport 1 . Nature 70, 603–604 (1904). https://doi.org/10.1038/070603b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/070603b0