What ball pressure gauge do you use?

doesn't really matter. I bought a small round one that has a release valve so I can drop pressure to what I want. Bag packed for the winter so no idea what brand it is.

 

Funny you posted this today... I was just thinking about how I carry a gauge but no pump- it’s the home team’s job, right? Except it never gets done. I did a npsl 4O last summer and pretty much the whole ball bag was low. Center was like “well, fill them up!” What a pain- borrowed pump from center. Pump pump pump. Check. Pump pump pump. Check. repeat x 5. Ugh.

So I just ordered this pump gauge combo. No idea how well it works but at least the gauge is scaled for balls and not for bike tires,

https://www.amazon.com/Under-Armour...652947&sr=8-2&keywords=under+armour+ball+pump

 

My two hands.

 

This is the one I use as well. I appreciate a properly inflated ball. I also appreciate all the balls being at the same pressure. Whatever that pressure may be.

 

I just use the suffocating pressure of life to measure it.

 

I have the one from OSI, but I'm not sure about it. The DA manual says 13 psi but after trying it on two different balls they were completely pumped up at around 7-8 psi. If I tried to get them to 13 they would have burst. Is there a problem with it?

 

Speaking of pressure, I see the LOTG call for the ball to be "of a pressure equal to 0.6–1.1 atmosphere (600–1,100g/cm2) at sea level (8.5 lbs/sq in–15.6 lbs/sq in)." What does the "at sea level" add to that specification? If a ball is pumped up to 15psi at sea level and then transported to, say, Denver or Estadio Azteca for play, what will its pressure then be? Kinda hard, eh? Or not? This is too close to physics for me to figure out.

 

Technically, these numbers would result in a partial vacuum if the ball were a solid sphere! It really should say these numbers "above atmospheric pressure." There are equations and graphs to figure out the pressure differences at various altitudes.

PH

 

Many less expensive soccer balls can't handle as much pressure inside. I'm surprised that at a DA event there would be inadequate soccer balls, but I've never been involved with them. Trying to apply the DA pressure standards in a rec game is likely to be unrealistic.

 

Bubba you of course are correct. If you inflate a ball to a certain pressure at sea level, and then take it to Azteca, it will be overinflated. Ever buy chips at a ski resort?

Can think of pressure as atoms buzzing about and bouncing off the wall of the ball. When the ball is soft, there are just as many atoms hitting the outside of the ball as the inside. Move that ball into altitude, and there are fewer hits on the outside, and just as many on the inside, and the pressure inside the ball goes up. Inflate the ball and there are more hits on the inside than outside, and pressure goes up.

So does a ball inflated to 10 psi in azteca feel as bouncy as a ball inflated to 10 psi at sea level? It does, because what the gauge is the relative amount of force the molecules inside the ball are exerting vs the molecules outside. It didn’t require as many molecules as at sea level, so the inflated ball will have less mass, but the compressibility of the ball will be the same.

“1 atm at sea level” is just the unit of pressure, much like bar and psi. They should have said “1 standard atmosphere.”

 

And the NFHS Rules call for "the manufacturer's recommended pressure."

 

Do what the manufacturers of the balls say. The balls that you are supposed to use for DA are Nike match level balls which are built to be at like 12-15 psi. A lot of times I'll do DA one weekend and during the week I'll be doing college which use the NCAA balls which are usually at 10-12 psi.

You are absolutely correct about inexpensive practice balls not handling the same pressure as the DA Nike ones. However, the DA events I've been to you have 4 game balls that US soccer provides and they have dedicated people that go and fetch the balls so... I believe they have adequate balls for their events. Now do all the clubs in DA have the game balls. I would say most of them do (since they get a stipend from US Soccer). however, some lower odd-ball clubs lose them throughout the season and fail to replace them. But the DA, of course, requires they have 3 certified match balls for kick-off.

 

The ones I tested weren’t DA ones they were just some random adidas balls from a local soccer store. Thanks for the help guys!

 

Actually it wasn't physics that did you in, it was reading comprehension. The "sea level" bit refers to the "atmosphere" measurement, not to the "psi" one. And as @chwmy said, the psi measurement works just as well at high as at low altitudes, no physics required.

 

It did occur to me after I posted that perhaps it should have been written: "0.6–1.1 atmosphere at sea level (600–1,100g/cm2)" rather than "0.6–1.1 atmosphere (600–1,100g/cm2) at sea level." That would have made sense. I think. Yes?

 

all work good for measure pressure.
Take plenty of needle-pin ( i break or lost many each season)

One buddy use rubber adapter hose; this is another variable. To me, less variable better. To try when cold rain, it is pain.

Other buddy also brought digital programming gauge, not look same as red above, something craftsman. This very accurate, and see number when artificial light and raining. But another variable, need proper power in battery.

For me, the stick and dial gauge simple machines, work better. My dial gauge have two display, atmosphere and psi, and release valve. I know when needle at 12 oclock, then pressure in ball good, if at 10, low, at 2, on high side. Release valve to bring to 12 and life is good. We also measure before start, not after kick-off, so if weather change, tough; only one time it became hard when a low pressure system appear suddenly above our heads, two player got headache.


To people who ask physics question. It is thermodynamics situation, not physics. The ball at 13 psi (~0.8 atm) at sea level will take to high mountain city, then pressure inside become 16.5. This okay as competition ball test-range. Temperature make more effect than alti. If mountain city same warm as sea level, ball go boom. { pV=nRT is formula; you find information online any search }

 

Thanks. And here's me thinking thermodynamics was physics.

 

Tbh I'm not well enough versed in English grammar to really answer that. I think the original (blue) text is grammatically correct but I'd agree that your suggestion (red) is more intuitive.

 

It's all relative.

 

Don't worry, you are correct, thermodynamics is a branch of physics, as well as of chemistry and certain fields of engineering.

PH

 

Sure thing, Einstein.

 

What does a study of meteors have to do with air pressure in soccer balls?

 

Everything is physics. Chemistry and engineering are just applied physics.