Volume 8, Issue 1, January-December, 2014
From the Editors
Dear Reader,
June, 2014
The first paper of 2014 investigates the coefficient of restitution of a damp tennis ball. Interestingly, a quantitative investigation into this topic has never been published as far as the Editor of this journal can tell. The ISB Journal of Science continues to add to our knowledge of the world in small but interesting ways.
July, 2014
Our second paper is a study of the conga drum. While widely played and enjoyed, conga drums have been rarely studied, and there is little data on the characteristics of the sound they produce under different conditions. The advent of computers in the lab and the internet now allow entry-level journals to exist and to publish papers establishing the foundations of data on little-studied phenomenon such as this. This is, I believe, an important and valuable role.
October, 2014
Our two most recent papers are each important in their own ways. The third paper in this issue investigates the impact force of a landing cat. This has never been studied, as far as we can tell, and the findings are interesting and, we believe, important. The fourth paper is important as it represents the first paper published by our journal that is outside the field of physics. The research and publishing program at ISB has recently expanded to include the other sciences, and this is the first paper published in the field of Biology. We hope it is the first of many.
December, 2014
Our last paper of the year investigates the sport of racquetball. While the theory describing bouncing and spinning in general is well-established, there remains much to be discovered in terms of how things work in specific conditions. This paper aims to add to our knowledge of how a racquetball behaves during impact, specifically looking at whether the ball sticks or slips during impact at an angle, and at what angle it starts to slip. This helps racquetball players better predict the trajectory and spin rate of a ball based on its impact angle. One more bit of knowledge helping us to better understand the world around us!
The research for papers in the Journal was conducted by ISB students and the papers were written by the authors and edited in consultation with the Editor. Papers were reviewed by members of the Journal's peer-review board. If you have any comments on the papers published in this issue, or would like to consult with the authors on their results, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Eales
jonathae@isb.ac.th