Beach ball
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A beach ball is an inflatable ball for beach and water games. Their large size ball and light weight take little effort to propel; they travel very slowly and generally must be caught with two hands, making them ideal for lazy games and for children. Their lightness and size make them difficult to use in even moderate wind.
The beach ball's invention is usually credited to Jonathon DeLonge in California in 1938.[1]
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[edit] Design
Beach balls range from hand-sized to over 3 feet (1 m) across or bigger. They generally have a set of soft plastic panels, with two circular end panels, one with an oral inflation valve, intended to be inflated by mouth or pump. A common design is vertical solid colored stripes alternating with white stripes. Some are printed with advertisements or company slogans, or painted as globes.
[edit] Uses
Beach ball sports include water polo and volleyball. While they are much less expensive than the balls used in professional sports, they are also much less durable as they are made of soft plastic. Giant beach balls may be hit around between crowd members at rock concerts and sporting events. Many graduates use beach balls as a prank during ceremonies, hitting them around the crowd. Their light weight and stability made them ideal for trained seals balancing a beach ball on their noses.[2] They are a popular prop in swimsuit photography.
[edit] Bernoulli beach ball demonstration
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The Bernoulli beach ball demonstration is a way of demonstrating Bernoulli's principle, that for an inviscid flow, an increase in the speed of the fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the fluid's potential energy.[3][4] The demonstration uses an air blower to suspend a beach ball in the air. The ball is locked in position because of the low pressure of the moving air around the ball. When the ball moves away, the higher pressure of the still air forces it back in.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Beach Balls: Facts and Trivia Online (accessed 2008-03-14)
- ^ This Seal Doesn't Have Everyone's Approval - 03.05.90 - SI Vault
- ^ Clancy, L.J., Aerodynamics, Chapter 3.
- ^ Batchelor, G.K. (1967), Section 3.5, pp. 156-64.
- ^ An error has occurred
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