RE: [ATM] Wind resistance & golf balls

["Robert Haler" <bhaler@lymax.com>]

I don't play a lot of golf anymore, but when I actually used to read golf
magazines, there were extensive treatises as to why the balls were dimpled.
To my recollection, a properly hit ball spins rapidly. As it spins, the
dimples drag along a boundary layer of air - which generates lift and keeps
the ball aloft longer - so it flies farther. The same thing happens with the
stitches on a baseball. Extra lift in the wind seems like a negative when
applied to telescopes.

As I said, this is my dim recollection from the past before telescopes
crowded out all other hobbies. They may have new theories for why golf balls
are overpriced now.     

Bob

-----Original Message-----
From: atm-bounces@atmlist.net [mailto:atm-bounces@atmlist.net] On Behalf Of
mbyorick
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 2:58 PM
To: 'atm'
Subject: RE: [ATM] Wind resistance & golf balls

 
> To cut resistance golf balls have regular indentations all over. The
> suggestion was that I do the same with my tube.

It would seem that, for the purpose of reducing wind resistance in a
'dimpled' truss tube OTA, one would have to impart a rather rapid spin
to the entire OTA in order to take advantage of the dimples.
Alternatively, one could simply motorize each of the truss tubes such
that they spin individually, which would make manual observing somewhat
easier... 

Mike Byorick

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