A shot at goal: score, crossbar or over

Three balls fly at the goal with different speeds: one into the net, one off the crossbar, one over. The net turns green on a goal.

2D Age 7+10 min Projectile motionElasticityLogic & robots

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Press “Run”. Bodies move by the laws of physics: gravity, friction, elasticity.

What the experiment shows

Speed and angle set the ball’s path. A little harder and it sails over the goal; the crossbar bounces the ball back like a mirror.

How to run it

Press “Run” and watch the three shots.
Select the blue ball and change vx — score a goal.
Make the balls less bouncy: how does the crossbar bounce change?

Questions to discuss

Why does the ball bounce off the bar in different directions?
How does knowing the path help a goalkeeper?

The science

Without air the ball flies along a parabola. Hitting the round bar it reflects off the tangent at the contact point: angle in equals angle out, and the ball’s bounciness decides how much speed remains.

Try it at home

Throw a ball at a chair leg from different sides and see where it bounces.

What to change in the editor

Add a goalkeeper rectangle.
Raise the crossbar.