Sports, Exercise and Health Science · B.2 Forces, motion and movement

SEB.2.2 — Fluid mechanics

Sports, Exercise and Health Science · SL / HL · syllabus-mapped notes

1. SEB.2.2.1

   Projectile motion

   The path of a projectile through air is determined by different factors and forces.

2. SEB.2.2.1.1

   Initial velocity and angle of projection

   A projectile’s flight path is primarily determined by the initial velocity and angle of projection.

3. SEB.2.2.1.2

   Height of release

   An object’s desired flight path is affected by the height of release relative to the target.

4. SEB.2.2.1.3

   Weight relative to air resistance

   An object’s flight path is influenced by the weight of the object relative to the air resistance it encounters.

5. SEB.2.2.2

   Environmental conditions and external forces

   Environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind, salinity of water and altitude affect the external forces acting on an object.

6. SEB.2.2.3

   Buoyancy, lift and drag

   The forces of buoyancy, lift and drag acting on a body as it moves through a fluid (air or water) have a measurable effect on its path. A projectile travelling through a fluid may be affected by Bernoulli’s principle, the angle of attack and the Magnus effect.

7. SEB.2.2.3.1

   Buoyancy

   Buoyancy is dependent on the density of the fluid and the volume of the fluid displaced.

8. SEB.2.2.3.2

   Surface, form and wave drag

   Drag includes surface drag, form drag and wave drag, and can be altered by manipulating the environment and the moving object.

9. SEB.2.2.3.3

   Sporting, ethical and regulatory implications

   There can be sporting, ethical and regulatory implications of these effects.