Frisbee: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:59, 20 January 2007

Latest revision as of 13:55, 25 August 2025

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{{Short description|Throwing toy}}

[[Image:frisbee-1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A [[Wham-O]] Professional Frisbee]]

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{{other uses}}

{{redirect2|Flying disc|Flying disk|the unidentified flying object|Flying saucer}}

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{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}

[[File:Frisbee 090719.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A flying disc with the [[Wham-O]] registered trademark "Frisbee"]]

A '''frisbee''' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|f|r|ᵻ|z|b|iː}} {{respell|FRIZ|bee}}), also called a '''flying disc''' or simply a '''disc''', is a gliding toy or sporting item generally made of [[injection molded|injection-molded]] plastic and roughly {{convert|20|to|25|cm|in|0}} in [[diameter]] with a pronounced lip. It is used recreationally and competitively for throwing and catching, as in [[flying disc games]]. The shape of the disc is an [[airfoil]] in cross-section which allows it to fly by reducing the drag and increasing lift as it moves through the air, compared to a flat plate. Spinning the disc imparts a stabilizing gyroscopic force, allowing it to be both aimed with accuracy and thrown for distance.

A wide range is available of flying disc variants. Those for [[disc golf]] are usually smaller but denser compared to ultimate frisbee, and tailored for particular flight profiles to increase or decrease stability and distance. The longest recorded disc throw is by David Wiggins Jr. with a distance of {{convert|1109|feet|m|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Flying Disc World Records|url=http://wfdf.org/worldrecords/?r_sec=1|access-date=November 13, 2014}}</ref> [[Disc dog]] sports use relatively slow-flying discs made of more pliable material to better resist a dog's bite and prevent injury to the dog. Flying rings are also available which typically travel significantly further than any traditional flying disc. Illuminated discs are made of phosphorescent plastic or contain [[chemiluminescence|chemiluminescent]] fluid or battery-powered LEDs for play after dark. Others whistle when they reach a certain velocity in flight.

{{redirect1|Frisbee|the amusement ride|[[Frisbee (ride)]]}}

The term ''frisbee'' is often used [[Generic trademark|generically]] to describe all flying discs, but '''Frisbee''' is a registered trademark of the [[Wham-O]] toy company.<ref>{{Cite web |title=8 Common Words That Are Still Trademarked |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-you-didnt-know-were-still-trademarks |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=Merriam-Webster |language=en}}</ref> This protection results in organized sports such as [[Ultimate frisbee|ultimate]] or [[disc golf]] having to forgo use of the word "Frisbee".<ref name="trademark-lost">{{cite web| url = http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/metaschool/fisher/___domain/tm.htm#6| title = Overview of Trademark Law: Can trademark rights be lost?}}</ref><ref name="losing-grip">{{cite web| url = http://www.finnegan.com/resources/articles/articlesdetail.aspx?news=f2bab1ee-ca17-465b-afd5-0281d2b712f3| title = Losing Grip on the Frisbee| access-date = September 21, 2011| archive-date = June 23, 2017| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170623101405/http://www.finnegan.com/resources/articles/articlesdetail.aspx?news=f2bab1ee-ca17-465b-afd5-0281d2b712f3| url-status = dead}}</ref>

'''Flying discs''' (commonly called '''Frisbees''') are the general name for any number of discs which are generally [[plastic]], roughly 20 to 25 centimeters (8&ndash;10&nbsp;inches) in [[diameter]], with a lip. The shape of a disc, an [[airfoil]] in cross-section, allows it to [[flight|fly]] by generating [[lift (force)|lift]] as it moves through the air while rotating. The name Frisbee is a registered [[trademark]] of the [[Wham-O]] toy company, but is often used [[genericized trademark|generically]] to describe all versions of the flying disc.

Flying discs are thrown and caught for [[recreation]], and as part of many different [[flying disc games]]. A wide range of flying disc variants are available commercially. [[Disc golf]] discs are usually smaller but denser and are tailored for particular flight profiles to increase/decrease stability and distance. [[Disc dog]] sports use relatively slow flying discs made of more pliable material to better resist a dog's bite and prevent injury. Ring shaped discs, known as [[Aerobie]]s, typically fly significantly farther than any traditional flying disc. There are illuminated discs meant for night time play which use [[Phosphorescence|phosphorescent]] plastic, or battery powered [[light-emitting diode|light emitting diodes]].

==History==

[[File:Person throwing flying disc.jpg|thumb|A flying disc in flight near the [[Mackinac Bridge]]]]

[[File:Frisbee Catch- Fcb981.jpg|thumb|A flying disc being caught]]

Frisbees were invented in the late 1930s by the American inventor [[Walter Frederick Morrison]]. Morrison and his future wife Lucile had fun tossing a popcorn can lid after a Thanksgiving Day dinner in 1937. They soon discovered a market for a light-duty flying disc when they were offered 25 cents ({{Inflation|US|0.25|1937|fmt=eq}}) for a [[cake pan]] that they were tossing back and forth on a beach near [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="History" /> In 2007, in an interview in ''[[The Virginian-Pilot]]'' newspaper, Morrison compared that with the 5 cents ({{Inflation|US|0.05|1937|fmt=eq}}) it cost back then: {{blockquote|"That got the wheels turning, because you could buy a cake pan for five cents, and if people on the beach were willing to pay a quarter for it, well—there was a business."<ref name="VP">{{cite news |title=50 years later, Frisbee still flying high |url=http://hamptonroads.com/node/272111 |access-date=2013-07-28 |newspaper=The Virginian-Pilot |first=Earl |last=Swift |date=2007-05-27 |archive-date=2016-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307095419/http://hamptonroads.com/node/272111 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}

The Morrisons continued their business until [[World War II]], when Walter served in the Army Air Force flying [[P-47 Thunderbolt|P-47s]], and then was a prisoner of war.<ref name="VP" /> After the war, Morrison sketched a design for an aerodynamically improved flying disc that he called the Whirlo-Way,<ref name="History" /> after [[Whirlaway|the famous racehorse]]. He and business partner Warren Franscioni began producing the first plastic discs by 1948, after design modifications and experimentation with several prototypes. They renamed them the "Flyin-Saucer" in the wake of reported [[Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting|unidentified flying object sightings]].<ref name="VP" />

People have been throwing cake pans, pie tins, cookie jar lids, and other such objects for centuries. The earliest known disc object to be thrown around was the [[chakram]], which was used as a weapon in [[History of India|ancient India]]. In later times, flying discs were used for recreational purposes. The [[clay target]] used in [[trapshooting]], almost identical to a flying disc in shape, was designed in the 19th century. The modern day era of flying discs began with the concept of designing and selling a commercially-produced flying disc.

"We worked fairs, demonstrating it," Morrison told the ''Virginian-Pilot''. The two of them once overheard someone saying that the pair were using wires to make the discs hover,<ref name="VP" /> so they developed a sales pitch: "The Flyin' Saucer is free, but the invisible wire is $1.00." ({{Inflation|US|1.00|1948|fmt=eq}})<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jftapGDTmYUC&q=frisbee%2520%2522the%2520flyin%2520saucer%2520is%2520free%2522&pg=PA138 |title=Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them |last=Walsh |first=Tim |date=October 2005 |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |isbn=9780740755712 |page=138 |language=en}}</ref> "That's where we learned we could sell these things," he said, because people were enthusiastic about them.<ref name="VP" />

In 2006, [[Walter Frederick Morrison|Fred Morrison]] co-authored ''Flat Flip Flies Straight!'' with flying disc historian and collector Phil Kennedy. In the book Fred reveals that it was a popcorn can lid that he tossed with his girlfriend (and later wife) Lu at a 1937 Thanksgiving Day gathering in Los Angeles, CA that inspired his interest in developing a commercially-produced flying disc. In 1946 he sketched out plans for a disc he called the "Whirlo-Way," which in 1948, co-developed and financed by [[Warren Franscioni]], became the very first plastic flying disc—the original PIPCO FLYIN-SAUCER. However, that disc was largely unsuccessful. In 1955 Fred, with help from Lu, designed and molded a brand new disc— the PLUTO PLATTER — which he then sold to Wham-O on January 23, 1957. In 1958 Wham-O renamed it the "FRISBEE," possibly a [[misspelling]] of the name of the [[Frisbie Pie Company]] of [[Bridgeport, Connecticut]], and then trademarked the name Frisbee.

Morrison and Franscioni ended their partnership in early 1950,<ref name="VP" /> and Morrison formed his own company in 1954 called American Trends to buy and sell "Flyin Saucers" (no hyphen after 1953), which were being made of a flexible polypropylene plastic by Southern California Plastics, the original molder.<ref name="History">{{cite web |url=http://www.flatflip.com/downloads/A%20Short%20History%20of%20the%20Frisbee.pdf |title=The History of the Frisbee |first=Phil |last=Kennedy |publisher=Wormhole Publishers |access-date=January 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035359/http://www.flatflip.com/downloads/A%20Short%20History%20of%20the%20Frisbee.pdf |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> He discovered that he could produce his own disc more cheaply, and he designed a new model in 1955 called the Pluto Platter, the archetype of all modern flying discs. He sold the rights to Wham-O on January 23, 1957.<ref name="History" />{{efn|It is often mistakenly reported that the company began producing Frisbees on this date,<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/3667058/frisbee-history/ |title=How Frisbees Got Off the Ground |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |first=Jennifer |last=Latson |date=January 23, 2015 |access-date=January 19, 2019 }}</ref> but production did not actually begin until a few months later.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ultiworld.com/livewire/day-wham-o-produces-first-frisbees-1957/ |title=On This Day: Wham-O Acquires Rights to Frisbee in 1957 {{!}} Livewire |last=Eisenhood |first=Charlie |date=January 23, 2017 |website=Ultiworld |access-date=January 19, 2019 }}</ref>}}

==Games using flying discs==

{{main|Flying disc games}}

*[[Ultimate (sport)|Ultimate]]

*[[Freestyle frisbee]]

*[[Disc Golf]] - the traditional game of [[Golf]] played with flying discs (frisbees) instead of clubs and balls.

*[[Durango Boot]]

*[[DDC Frisbee|Double Disc Court]]

*[[Guts frisbee|Guts Frisbee]]

*[[Flutterguts]]

*[[Friskee]]

*[[Disc dog]]

*[[Dodge Frisbee]]

*[[Goaltimate]]

*[[Schtick (Disc Game)|Schtick]]

*[[Fricket]], (sometimes called Cups, Suzy Sticks, Frisnok or Disc Cricket)

*[[Hot Box]]

*[[Fris-Nok]], the traditional Icelandic-Canadian game.

*[[Flyer Frizbee]]

In June 1957, Wham-O co-founders [[Richard Knerr]] and Arthur "Spud" Melin gave the disc the brand name "Frisbee" after learning college students were calling the Pluto Platter by that term,<ref name="CTV20070616">{{cite news |title='Frisbee' Marks 50th Anniversary of Name Change |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/frisbee-marks-50th-anniversary-of-name-change-1.245188 |publisher=[[CTVglobemedia]] |date=June 16, 2007 |access-date=June 19, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101053740/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070616/frisbee_070616/20070616?hub=TopStories |archive-date=November 1, 2007 }}</ref> which was derived from the Connecticut-based pie manufacturer [[Frisbie Pie Company]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/12/frisbee.morrison.obit/?hpt=T2 |publisher=CNN |title=Frisbee Inventor Dies at 90 - CNN.com |access-date=May 2, 2010 |date=February 12, 2010}}</ref> a supplier of pies to [[Yale University]], where students had started a campus craze tossing empty pie tins stamped with the company's logo—the way Morrison and his wife had in 1937.<ref name="VP" />

==Physics==

[[File:Professional Model Frisbee Canadian Open 1972.jpg|thumb|The first Frisbee (Professional Model) to be produced as a sport disc with the first disc sport tournament identification, the 1972 [[Ken Westerfield#The Canadian Open and the first Frisbee freestyle competition|Canadian Open Frisbee Championships]] in Toronto.]]

[[Lift (force)|Lift]] is generated in primarily the same way as a traditional asymmetric [[airfoil]], that is, by accelerating upper airflow such that a pressure difference gives rise to a lifting force. Small ridges near the leading edge act as turbulators, reducing flow separation by forcing the airflow to become [[turbulent]] after it passes over the ridges.

In November 1957, the Frisbee was featured in what may be the first rock musical ever performed, ''Anything & Everything'', written by [[Ted Nelson]]. The game of Frisbee (spelled Frisby) is described in the song "Friz Me the Frisby," as a Frisbee was passed among stooges in the audience. The scene was expressly intended as a way to introduce the game to the audience.<ref name="Script for first rock musical, 1957 by Ted Nelson">{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/a-e-script-1958/mode/2up|title=Script for first rock musical, 1957|date=November 22, 1957}}</ref>

In 1964, [[Ed Headrick]] was hired as Wham-O's general manager and vice president of marketing. Headrick redesigned the Pluto Platter by reworking the mold, mainly to remove the names of the planets, but fortuitously increasing the rim thickness and mass in the process, creating a more controllable disc that could be thrown with higher accuracy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Morrison |first=Fred |author-link=Walter Frederick Morrison |author2=Phil Kennedy |title=Flat Flip Flies Straight! True Origins of the Frisbee |date=January 2006 |publisher=Wormhole Publishers |___location=Wethersfield, CT |isbn=978-0-9774517-4-6 |oclc=233974379}} Fred Morrison: "Headrick had an eye for product design.... The "New Look" contributed mightily to its phenomenal success."</ref>

The rotating flying disc has a vertical [[angular momentum]] vector, stabilizing its attitude <!-- "attitude" is the correct term here; pls don't change to "altitude". -elf Dec 05 --> [[gyroscope|gyroscopically]]. Depending on the cross-sectional shape of the airfoil, the amount of lift generated by the front and back parts of the disc may be unequal. If the disc was not spinning, this would tend to make it [[Flight dynamics|pitch]]. When the disc is spinning, however, such a torque would cause it to [[precession|precess]] about the roll axis, causing its trajectory to curve to the left or the right. Most discs are designed to be aerodynamically stable, so that this roll is self-correcting for a fairly broad range of velocities and rates of spin. However, many [[disc golf]] discs are intentionally designed to be unstable. Higher rates of spin lead to better stability, and for a given rate of spin, there is generally a range of velocities that are stable.

[[File:Headrick Frisbee Ashes 001.jpg|thumb|A memorial disc containing some of the ashes of Ed Headrick, on display at ''[[Ripley's Believe It or Not!]]'', London.]]

Even a slight deformation in a disc, called a "Taco," as extreme cases look like a [[taco shell]], can cause adverse affects when throwing long range. It can be observed by holding the disc horizontally at eye level and looking at the rim while slowly rotating the disc.

Wham-O changed their marketing strategy to promote Frisbee use as a new sport, and sales increased. In 1964, the first professional model went on sale. Headrick patented its design; it featured raised ridges (the "Rings of Headrick") that were claimed to stabilize flight.<ref name="About980218">{{cite web| url = http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980218.htm| archive-url = https://archive.today/20120714133547/http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980218.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = July 14, 2012| title = The First Flight of the Frisbee: The History of the Frisbee}}</ref>

Headrick became known as the father of Frisbee sports;<ref>{{cite book |last=Malafronte |first=Victor A. |editor=F. Davis Johnson |others=Rachel Forbes (illus.) |title=The Complete Book of Frisbee: The History of the Sport & the First Official Price Guide |year=1998 |publisher=American Trends Publishing Company |___location=Alameda, Cal. |isbn=0-9663855-2-7 |oclc=39487710 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/completebookoffr00mala }}</ref> he founded the [[International Frisbee Association]] and appointed Dan Roddick as its head. Roddick began establishing North American Series (NAS) tournament standards for various Frisbee sports, such as [[Flying disc freestyle|Freestyle]], [[Guts (flying disc game)|Guts]], [[Double Disc Court]], and overall events.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Frisbee sport and Flying Disc freestyle|work=Formative Years|date=May 11, 2017|url=http://www.freestyledisc.org/freestyle-history/#chapter2|access-date=September 26, 2017}}</ref> Headrick later helped to develop the sport of disc golf, which was first played with Frisbees and later with more aerodynamic beveled-rim discs, by inventing standardized targets called "pole holes".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/14/obituaries/14HEAD.html |title=Ed Headrick, Designer of the Modern Frisbee, Dies at 78 |newspaper=New York Times|access-date=June 14, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discgolf.com/how-to-play-disc-golf/disc-golf-history/ |title=The History of Disc Golf |date=October 30, 2001 |publisher=Discgolf.com|access-date=December 27, 2011}}</ref> When Headrick died, he was cremated, and his ashes were molded into memorial discs and given to family and close friends<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/inventors-whose-ashes-stored-in-their-inventions-2016-2|title=7 innovators who had their ashes turned into their obsessions|website=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref> and sold to benefit The Ed Headrick Memorial Museum.<ref>[http://www.discgolf.com/disc-golf-discs/steady-ed-memorial-discs/ Steady Ed Memorial Discs] Disc Golf Association</ref>

==Trivia==

*In the animated motion picture ''[[The Secret of NIMH]]'', based on the book ''[[Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH]]'', the main character's name was changed in post-production from "Frisby" to "Brisby" to avoid potential trademark infringements.

*In the film ''[[Back to the Future Part III]]'', Marty McFly throws a metal pie dish at a gunman in order to save Doc Brown's life. He notices the dish is stamped "Frisbie Pie Company", giving a fictional origin to the current use of the term.

*[[Richard Feynman]] in his book ''[[Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!]]'' suggests that watching the wobble of a plate tossed in the [[Cornell University]] cafeteria stimulated him to develop mathematics that eventually led to his Nobel prize winning work in [[quantum electrodynamics]] [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR2005110301924.html].

In 1998, the Frisbee was inducted into the [[National Toy Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wham-o.com/brands/frisbee_disc.html |title=Wham-O Frisbee Disc |access-date=2015-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530150849/http://www.wham-o.com/brands/frisbee_disc.html |archive-date=2015-05-30 |url-status=dead |author=Wham-O |date=2015 }}</ref> In addition, many championships have sprung up around the world and the sport has become very popular, with nine-time champion Miguel Larrañaga from Spain being the leading exponent of frisbee throwing.

== See also ==

* [[Disc throws]]

* [[Frisbeetarianism]]

* [[Chakram]]

==Variations of flying discs==

==Further reading==

[[Flying disc sports|Flying discs]], also known as "frisbees," have variations produced for different purposes to optimize alternatives between branches of disc sports. The three main categories are: ultimate disc, golf disc, and freestyle disc.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Disciplines |url=https://wfdf.sport/disciplines/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=WFDF |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Ultimate disc===

*''Flat Flip Flies Straight! True Origins of the Frisbee®'' [[Walter Frederick Morrison]] and Phil Kennedy, Wormhole Publishers, Wethersfield, CT (June 2006), ISBN 978-0-9774517-4-6

{{stack|[[File:Frisbee-forehand-top-2.jpg|thumb|An ultimate frisbee.]]}}

*''Frisbee, A Practitioner's Manual and Definitive Treatise'' Stancil E.D. Johnson, M.D. Workman Publishing Company, New York (July, 1975) ISBN 978-0-911104-53-0

Ultimate discs are designed to be used in the sport of [[Ultimate (sport)|Ultimate]]. Ultimate discs are made of durable plastic (often [[polyethylene]]) and are designed to be thrown for maximum distance and accuracy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shields |first=Laura G. |title=Building the Ultimate Ultimate Disc |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/building-the-ultimate-ultimate-disc/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Scientific American Blog Network |language=en}}</ref>

*''The Official Frisbee Handbook'' Goldy Norton, Bantam Books, Toronto/New York/London (July, 1972) no ISBN

*''Frisbee Players' Handbook'' Mark Danna, Dan Poynter, Parachuting Publications, Santa Barbara, California (1978) ISBN 0915516195

Ultimate has a unique standard with a diameter of {{convert|10.75|in|cm|lk=on|order=flip}} and a weight of {{convert|175|g|lk=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=极限飞盘选购指南 |url=http://www.szfda.cn/buying-guide/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=深圳市飞盘运动协会 |language=zh-CN}}</ref> For competitive uses, WFDF or other official organizations set disc standards to ensure quality.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-06 |title=Disc Standards {{!}} USA Ultimate |url=https://usaultimate.org/programs/disc-standards/ |access-date=2023-02-27 |language=en-US}}</ref>

*''Frisbee Sports & Games'' Charles Tips, Dan Roddick, Celestial Arts, Millbrae, California (March 1979) ISBN 978-0-89087-233-8

*''Frisbee by the Masters'' Charles Tips, Celestial Arts, Millbrae, California (March 1977) ISBN 978-0-89087-142-3

===Disc golf===

*''Spinning Flight : Dynamics of Frisbees, Boomerangs, Samaras and Skipping Stones'', Ralph Lorenz, Copernicus New York, September 2006 ISBN 978-0-387-30779-4

[[File:Disc_golf_discs_from_Disc_Golf_Course_on_Toronto_Island_2.jpg|thumb|Disc golf discs in a target.]]

Another type of flying disc is the disc golf disc, which is used in the sport of [[disc golf]]. Disc golf discs are similar in size and shape to ultimate discs, but have different weights and designs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Nicholas |title=How Discs Are Made |url=https://roguediscs.com/blog/how-discs-are-made |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Rogue Discs |language=en}}</ref> The material used to make golf discs is [[polypropylene]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Red |title=How Disc Golf Discs are Made: The Complete Guide |url=https://discgolfnow.com/how-are-disc-golf-discs-made/ |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=DiscGolfNOW.com |language=en-US}}</ref> There are three main types of golf discs: drivers, mid-range discs, and putters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Disc Golf Equipment {{!}} Northeast Texas Community College |url=https://www.ntcc.edu/visitors/disc-golf-ntcc/disc-golf-equipment |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=www.ntcc.edu}}</ref>

Each type is designed for a specific purpose, with drivers being used for long-distance throws, mid-range discs for more controlled shots, and putters for short and accurate throws into the [[Basket (disc golf)|target]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bestdiscgolfers |date=2018-10-12 |title=How Disc Golf Discs Are Made? |url=https://bestdiscgolfers.com/how-disc-golf-discs-are-made/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Best Disc Golfers |language=en-US}}</ref> The rim for golf discs are sharper than ultimate frisbee, to reduce [[Wind resistance|wind drag]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Disc Dimensions |url=https://spilmandgc.org/disc-dimensions/ |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=Spilman Park Disc Golf Club |language=en-US |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227004409/https://spilmandgc.org/disc-dimensions/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Each type of golf disc has hundreds of variations, subject to a uniform requirement in the size of discs: the minimum diameter of a golf disc is {{convert|21|cm|abbr=on|lk=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=dgentry |date=2008-09-11 |title=Current Disc Golf Equipment Manufacturer Guidelines |url=https://www.pdga.com/technical-standards/manufacturer-guidelines |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=Professional Disc Golf Association |language=en}}</ref>

===Freestyle disc===

{{stack|[[File:Frisbee_freestyle_claudio_cigna_2009.jpg|thumb|Freestyle disc]]}}

Freestyle discs are another variation of flying discs that are used in [[Flying disc freestyle|freestyle Frisbee]] competitions. These discs are usually smaller and lighter than other types of flying discs. Most freestyle discs have a diameter of {{convert|25.5|cm|in}} or less and a weight of around {{convert|160|g}}, but this is subject to change&nbsp;according to the performer's need.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freestyle |url=https://wfdf.sport/disciplines/freestyle/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=WFDF |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Disc sports==

{{Main|Flying disc games|Flying disc freestyle}}

The IFT [[Guts (flying disc game)|guts]] competitions in Northern Michigan, the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships (1972), Toronto, Ontario, the Vancouver Open Frisbee Championships (1974), Vancouver, British Columbia, the Octad (1974), New Jersey, the American Flying Disc Open (1974), Rochester, New York, and the World Frisbee Championships (1974), Pasadena, California, are the earliest Frisbee competitions that presented the Frisbee as a new disc sport. Before these tournaments, the Frisbee was considered a toy and used for recreation.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Frisbee and Flying Disc freestyle|work=Development of Frisbee and disc sports|date=May 11, 2017|url=http://www.freestyledisc.org/freestyle-history/#chapter3|access-date=October 6, 2018}}</ref>

===[[Flying disc games#Double disc court|Double disc court]]===

Double disc court was invented and introduced in 1974 by Jim Palmeri,<ref>{{cite web|title=Jim Palmeri|url=http://www.gutsfrisbee.com/hall-of-fame/1984/jim-palmeri|work=Hall of Fame|access-date=January 1, 2014|archive-date=January 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191142/http://www.gutsfrisbee.com/hall-of-fame/1984/jim-palmeri|url-status=dead}}</ref> a sport played with two flying discs and two teams of two players. Each team defends its court and tries to land a flying disc in the opposing court.

===[[Disc dog]]===

Dogs and their human flying disc throwers compete in events such as distance catching and somewhat choreographed freestyle catching.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WbXH1gVAohUC&q=disc%2520dog |title=Disc Dogs! A Beginner's Guide |last=Perry |first=Jeff |publisher=Hyperflite |year=2011 |isbn=9780981723747 |language=en}}</ref>

===[[Disc golf]]===

This is a precision and accuracy sport where individual players throw a flying disc at a target pole hole. In 1926, In Bladworth, Saskatchewan, Canada, Ronald Gibson and a group of his Bladworth Elementary school friends played a game using metal lids, they called "Tin Lid Golf".<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Disc Golf|date=November 22, 2018 |url=https://discsportshistory.com/disc-golf-history/|access-date=November 5, 2022}}</ref> In 1976, the game of disc golf was standardized with targets called "pole holes" invented and developed by Wham-O's Ed Headrick.<ref>{{cite web|last=DDGA|title=History of Disc Golf|url=http://www.ddga.org/history-of-disc-golf/|access-date=May 15, 2017|archive-date=January 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104010449/http://www.ddga.org/history-of-disc-golf/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===[[Flying disc games#Freestyle play and competition|Freestyle competition]]===

In 1974, [[Flying disc freestyle|freestyle]] competition was created and introduced by [[Ken Westerfield]] and [[Discraft]]'s Jim Kenner. Teams of two or three players are judged as they perform a routine that consists of a series of creative throwing and catching techniques set to music.<ref>{{cite web|last=FPA|title=History of Frisbee and Flying Disc Freestyle|date=May 11, 2017|url=http://www.freestyledisc.org/freestyle-history/#chapter3|access-date=May 15, 2017}}</ref>

===[[Goaltimate]]===

A half-court disc game derived from ultimate, similar to hot box. The object is to advance the disc on the field of play by passing, and score points by throwing the flying disc to a teammate in a small scoring area.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldgoaltimate.com/rules.html |title=Goaltimate Rules |website=World Goaltimate Association |access-date=January 19, 2019 }}</ref>

===[[Guts (flying disc game)|Guts]]===

The game of guts was invented by the Healy Brothers in the 1950s and developed at the International Frisbee Tournament (IFT) in [[Eagle Harbor, Michigan]]. Two teams of one to five team members stand in parallel lines facing each other across a court and throw flying discs at members of the opposing team.<ref>{{cite news|last=Veale|first=Brandon|title=Boggio boosted Guts frisbee in 1960s|url=http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/526020/Boggio-boosted-Guts-frisbee-in-1960s.html|access-date=August 1, 2012|newspaper=The Daily Mining Gazette|date=July 6, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000530/http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/526020/Boggio-boosted-Guts-frisbee-in-1960s.html|archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref>

===[[KanJam]]===

{{stack|[[File:KanJam.jpg|thumb|Man plays KanJam.]]}}

A patented game scoring points by throwing and deflecting the flying disc and hitting or entering the goal. The game ends when a team scores exactly 21 points or "chogs" the disc for an instant win.<ref name="WBFO">{{cite web | last =Robison | first =Daniel | title ='Trash Can Frisbee' – a local game – goes global as KanJam | publisher =WBFO 88.7 | date =November 2, 2012 | url =http://news.wbfo.org/post/trash-can-frisbee-local-game-goes-global-kanjam | access-date = April 20, 2013}}</ref>

===[[Ultimate (sport)|Ultimate]]===

The most widely played disc game began in the late 1960s with [[Joel Silver]] and Jared Kass. In the 1970s, it developed as an organized sport with the creation of the Ultimate Players Association by Dan Roddick, Tom Kennedy, and Irv Kalb.<ref>{{cite web|title=Special Merit the Johnny Appleseeds|work=USA Ultimate Hall of Fame|url=https://www.usaultimate.org/assets/1/Page/The%20Johnny%20Appleseeds%202014.pdf|access-date=2018-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122084427/https://www.usaultimate.org/assets/1/Page/The%20Johnny%20Appleseeds%202014.pdf|archive-date=2015-01-22|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The object of the game is to advance the disc and score points by eventually passing the disc to a team member in the opposing team's end zone. Players may not run while holding the disc.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Ultimate Frisbee and Disc Sports|url=https://discsportshistory.com/history-of-ultimate-frisbee/|access-date=2017-12-25}}</ref>

== Disc-wing Aerodynamics ==

=== Theory ===

Frisbees are characterized aerodynamically as disc-wings. While their profile is generally an aerofoil like most wings, disc-wing flight is distinct from other wing arrangements because the [[Center of pressure (fluid mechanics)|center of pressure]] of a disk at a typical flight [[Angle of attack|angle of attack (AOA)]] is ahead of the [[Center of mass|center of gravity]] for the disk. Therefore, without stabilizing [[Gyroscope|gyroscopic]] effects from the disk’s spin, the frisbee has a tendency to roll about the direction of motion.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Nelson |first=Robert C. |title=Flight Stability and Automatic Control |publisher=[[McGraw Hill]] |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-07-046273-1 |edition=2nd |___location=Boston, Mass. |publication-date=1998}}</ref>

The aerodynamic flight of a disc-wing consists of two main changing components, the [[Lift coefficient|coefficient of lift]] (C_L), and the [[Drag coefficient|coefficient of drag]] (C_D). They are governed by the following.

<math>C_L=C_{L0}+C_{L\alpha}\alpha

</math>

<math>C_D=C_{D0}+C_{D\alpha}\alpha^2</math>

Where C_L0 and C_D0 are base lift and drag values of the airfoil itself, based on its geometry, as well as [[Skin friction drag|skin friction]] and [[Parasitic drag|pressure drag]] for C_D0 [6]. The other two parameters, C_Lα and C_Dα, are the effects that on the lift and drag brought on by changes in the angle of attack (α).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Simulation of Frisbee Flight |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253842372 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220815124455/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253842372_Simulation_of_Frisbee_Flight |archive-date=2022-08-15 |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=ResearchGate |language=en}}</ref>

Overall lift and drag for a disc-wing can be calculated from the coefficients of lift and drag using the following equations.

<math>L=Av^2C_L\rho/2

</math>

<math>D=Av^2C_D\rho/2</math>

Where ρ is the density of air, A is the surface area of the frisbee and v is the velocity of the frisbee. It is noted that in almost all calculations, the airfoil is approximated as a disc and as such A is calculated through the [[Area of a circle|standard area of a circle formula]].<ref name=":1" />

Another contributing factor to the aerodynamics is the [[pitching moment]] of the frisbee. This is caused due to an imbalance of the lift force between the front and back ends of the frisbee during the flight, and causes the AOA to change based on the moment it experiences. As such, lift, drag, AOA, velocity in x, y, and z as well as acceleration in x and z change throughout the duration of the flight.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Frisbee Flight Simulation and Throw Biomechanics – Biosport |url=https://research.engineering.ucdavis.edu/biosport/sample-page/test-page-1/frisbee-flight-simulation-and-throw-biomechanics/ |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=research.engineering.ucdavis.edu}}</ref>

The changes in velocity and acceleration in the z direction are due to a force known as the [[Robins-Magnis force]] acting on the frisbee.<ref name=":2" /> When a spin is applied, the frisbee experiences a force that causes it to travel in a curved path relative to the ground. As such, depending on the spin that the frisbee experiences, it could drift far to the left or to the right of the thrower, even if a thrown with no z direction velocity, due to the spin that is applied.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Baumback |first=Kathleen |date=May 2013 |title=The Aerodynamics of Frisbee Flight |url=http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/ujmm/vol3/iss1/31/ |journal=Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two |volume=3 |issue=1 |doi=10.5038/2326-3652.3.1.31 |issn=2326-3652|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Some spin is necessary for stable flight of the frisbee, as the [[angular momentum]] self stabilizes in the air and allows for a smooth flight. This is due to the spin causing the frisbee to act as a gyroscope in the air. The roll dynamics and moments that a frisbee experiences play an insignificant role in the flight dynamics of the frisbee.<ref name=":2" />

=== Research into disc-wing Aerodynamics ===

The limited use of flying discs in mainstream aeronautical applications means that research and procedures for studying them are less available than for traditional wing shapes.

A common thread across existing research materials is that theoretical results for disc trajectories and performance are checked against data collected in the field. Professional Ultimate and disc golf players are preferred because they provide consistent release speeds and angles of attack.<ref>Pozzy T., Getting More Distance - How Important Is Disc Speed, Disc Golf World News, No. 57, Spring 2001.</ref> For example, researchers developed a 2D flight dynamics approximation to find the theoretical maximum range an unpowered disk can travel given a set launch speed, and checked it against field tests.<ref>Lissaman P.B.S., The Meaning of Lift, AIAA 96-0161, 34th Aero. Sci. Meet & Exhibit, Reno, NV, Jan. 1996.</ref>

Sources agree that controlling the trajectory of a frisbee to make landing points repeatable relies on understanding spin rate’s effect on frisbee lift and curve. One study using [[Flow visualization|smoke wire flow visualization]] and [[particle image velocimetry]] measurements determined that spin rate has a slight but noticeable effect on a disk’s aerodynamic drag. At a low AOA (under 5 degrees), the trailing edge vortex strength remained unchanged between spinning and non-spinning tests. However, greater angles of attack allowed rotation to generate a large vortex region that heightened drag.<ref>Higuchi H., Goto Y., Hiramoto R. & Meisel I., Rotating Flying Disks and Formation of Trailing Vortices, AIAA 2000-4001, 18th AIAA Applied Aero. Conf., Denver, CO, USA, Aug. 2000.</ref> In a similar experiment using a different frisbee design, spin assisted lift across the board but lift enhancement was inversely proportional to the angle of attack.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Potts |first1=Jonathan |last2=Crowther |first2=William |date=2002-06-24 |title=Frisbee(TM) Aerodynamics |url=https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2002-3150 |journal=University of Manchester |language=en |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |doi=10.2514/6.2002-3150 |isbn=978-1-62410-110-6|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Aerobie]]

* [[AUDL]]

* [[Boomerang]]

* [[Discus]]

* [[Flying ring]]

* [[Flying cylinder]]

* [[Ultimate Canada]]

* [[USA Ultimate]]

==Notes==

{{notelist}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

===Further reading===

{{refbegin}}

* {{cite book| author = Stancil E. D. Johnson| title = Frisbee: A Practitioner's Manual and Definitive Treatise| year = 1975| publisher = Workman Publishing Company| isbn = 978-0-911104-53-0 }}

* {{cite book| last1 = Horowitz| first1 = Judy| last2 = Bloom| first2 = Billy| title = Frisbee: More Than a Game of Catch| year = 1984| publisher = Macmillan Reference USA| isbn = 978-0-88011-105-8 }}

* Norton, Gary, ''The Official Frisbee Handbook'', New York, Toronto, London: Bantam Books, 1972

* {{cite book| last1 = Danna| first1 = Mark| last2 = Poynter| first2 = Dan| title = Frisbee Players' Handbook| year = 1980| publisher = Para Pub| isbn = 978-0-915516-19-3 }}

* {{cite book| last1 = Tips| first1 = Charles| last2 = Roddick| first2 = Dan| title = Frisbee, sports and games| year = 1979| publisher = Celestial Arts Publishing Company| isbn = 978-0-89087-233-8| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/frisbeediscsport0000tips}}

* {{cite book| last = Tips| first = Charles| title = Frisbee by the Masters| year = 1977| publisher = Celestial Arts Publishing Company| isbn = 978-0-89087-142-3 }}

* {{cite book| last1 = Morrison| first1 = Fred| last2 = Kennedy| first2 = Phil| title = Flat Flip Flies Straight: True Origins of the Frisbee| year = 2006| publisher = Wormhole Publishers| isbn = 978-0-9774517-4-6 }}

* {{cite book| last = Lorenz| first = Ralph| title = Spinning flight: dynamics of frisbees, boomerangs, samaras, and skipping stones| year = 2006| publisher = Springer Verlag| isbn = 978-0-387-30779-4 }}

{{refend}}

==External links==

{{Commons category|Frisbee}}

*[http://www2.upa.org/index.php/ Ultimate Players Association] sports governing body of Ultimate in the USA

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