Sports (Q&A)

Answer:

Before having dimples, golf balls had smooth surface. Repeated use caused the ball to worn. The smooth surface was replaced by an uneven texture characterized by a series of bumps, slices and nicks. Instead of discarding these used devices, golfers noticed that these older balls performed better than newer balls.  In early 20th century, experts began to investigate this phenomenon. It was discovered that these nicks and cuts into the surface increased the rate of turbulence involved. The uneven surface was introducing turbulence into the layer of air around the ball as it sailed toward a target. The presence of the turbulence reduced the drag on the ball, which allowed it to go a greater distance. Typical golf balls have dimples that run in the range of three hundred to four hundred dimples per ball. Golf balls with dimples are capable of travelling up to four times the amount of distance that is achieved with smooth golf balls. Part of the higher rate of performance is that along with the fact that golf balls have dimples today, they are also sealed with a laminate. The combination helps to create the maximum amount of drag reduction qualities, making it easier to control both the distance and the direction of the ball.

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