Our main project is centered around how well a dog can catch a tennis ball based on how it is thrown. Our goal was to find the best way to throw the ball so that the dog can most easily catch it.
Materials
Dog (Joey) Meter stick Tennis balls Camera
Procedure
We threw the ball underhand and overhand ten times each at each distance. We used four different distances: 2m, 4m, 6m, and 8m. We allowed Joey to rest every ten throws. We recorded whether or not Joey caught the ball for each throw.
Results (Underhand) 1
10
2m
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
70%
4m
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
60%
6m
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
40%
8m
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
40%
Results (Overhand) 1
10
2m
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
70%
4m
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
10%
6m
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
30%
8m
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
20%
Pros and Cons of Underhand vs. Overhand
When throwing underhand, the ball ends up getting more vertical distance than horizontal distance. When throwing overhand, the ball ends up getting more vertical distance than horizontal distance.
Variables (what could be improved)
Height of the dog
Height of the person How hard the person throws the ball How active the dog is/age of the dog
Conclusion We found that throwing the ball underhand is the most effective way to throw the ball, and that the dog will have a better chance of catching the ball over short distances.
