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So whenever I play badminton, I always think why Rubber Part of shuttle is ending up on racquet not feathers. So, can anyone explain me why this happens?

Ankit Singh
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1 Answers1

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A large proportion of the mass of the shuttlecock is in the rubber head, but the majority of the drag force that is experienced by the shuttlecock is exerted on the feathered part.

If the shuttlecock is flying so that the symmetry axis is at an angle to the direction of motion, there will be a net torque around the centre of mass which acts to reduce this angle. Once that angle is zero then the torque will be zero.

This means that, providing the drag force is large enough and that the shuttlecock flies for long enough, then it will rotate so that the line of symmetry is in the direction of motion. Having a heavier rubber head moves the centre of mass and therefore the axis of rotation closer to the front end of the shuttlecock and significantly increases the torque exerted by the "feathers".

Note that if the shuttlecock initially flies "backwards" then I think this torque will be even larger because of the way it would "catch" the air. Sketches below.

Shuttlecock

ProfRob
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  • Drag is not the complete answer here. I think the mass of the rubber part is also crucial. The mass being higher has nothing to do with the drag/torque explanation but it definitely matters. I am not sure why it matters. But we all know, that it does. Can you add any insight into why that may be the case ? You even mentioned that the large part of mass is in the head, but you have not explained why that is crucial – silverrahul Mar 29 '21 at 06:48
  • @silverrahul The torque around the centre of mass is larger, the further away the centre of mass is from the thing that's causing the drag. – ProfRob Mar 29 '21 at 08:23