Pass, dribble and shoot! It is time for March Mania basketball – one of the most famous annual sporting events in the US. Whether you are watching college teams on TV or playing in the backyard, basketball is fun because of Science! I betcha’ didn’t know there was science involved in the sport of basketball!
Bouncing the ball on the ground, passing to your teammate, and shooting at the goal all depend on physics, math and the laws of motion.
Origins of Basketball
By Evdcoldeportes via Wikimedia Commons
Basketball is considered the first sport that completely originated in the United States. It was invented in December of 1891 when Dr. James Naismith nailed up some peach baskets in a gym. Basketballs today are designed to bounce around the court and soar in an orange arc from your hands into the basket. But were they always like this? Why do they have those bumps on them?
When the sport was first invented soccer balls were used and players had a harder time holding on to and dribbling the ball than they did shooting a basket. The orange, bumpy ball we know today was developed as a result of problems players were having trying to play this brand new game.
Changes they made to the ball included making them bigger and adding bumps to the leather surface. This added bounce and friction to the equation. Modern basketballs are hollow with an inflatable inner rubber bladder and have a small opening that lets you control the air pressure. This hollow center is generally wrapped in layers of fiber and finally covered with leather, which is usually bright orange so players can easily see them. They took a problem – slippery, not so bouncy ball – and engineered a solution!
Basketballs bounce because of the pressurized air inside of them, gravity and Newton’s Laws of Motion.
When you dribble a basketball, your hand and gravity both push the ball towards the ground (Law #1). As it drops, the ball accelerates and speeds up (Law #2). It wants to stay in motion so the ball pushes into the ground when it hits, compressing the air inside. The ground pushes up with an equal, but opposite amount of force resulting in the ball bouncing back up in to your hand (Law #3). The energy in the compressed air is transferred back to the ball pushing it back into motion. If you were to take your hand away and stop dribbling, the ball would continue to bounce due to Newton’s first law, but would slow down and eventually stop due to friction.
The more air pressure inside, the harder it will push on the sides of the ball and the more bounce you’ll get. This is why an under inflated ball won’t bounce very well because there is not enough air pressure inside to maintain the forces necessary for bounce.
Why the bumps?
Image Source: Pixabay.com
So the last detail they added to their new ball was little bumps on the surface of the leather called pebbling. Adding these bumps was all about friction. When forces collide, friction naturally slows things down over time and the more points of contact an object has with another surface the more friction comes into play. So the bumps on the basketball basically increase the surface area of the ball and the amount of friction acting on it. This makes the pebbled ball ideal for a player to grip, pass quickly, and dribble without fear that the ball will slip away in a random direction.
Next time you shoot some hoops, observe all the features of the basketball that make it special. It’s a great example of engineering and American innovation in action!
Try this fun, at-home STEM basketball activity: http://sciencemadefunwnc.net/downloads/basketball_STEM.pdf
Author Science Made Fun!Posted on Categories E-News HTHTTags basketball, bounce, friction, march, motion, newton's laws, science of basketball, STEM
Galileo Got Game: 5 Things You Didn't Know About the Physics of Basketball
Red Auerbach was on to something here. A law of physics known as the conservation of angular momentum ensures that the ball will keep spinning at the same rate once it leaves the player's hands. But why is backspin helpful for a shooter?
To see why, first imagine a basketball that isn't spinning. When it hits the rim, the ball experiences some friction with the rim. This collision robs the ball of some of its energy, which slows it down some.
Now imagine a ball with backspin. The motion of the ball is now the sum of two different motions - the speed with which the center of the ball is flying through the air, and the spinning motion around this center. Adding those together, we find that the bottom of the ball is now moving faster than before.
This time, when the bottom of the ball strikes the rim, the collision occurs with greater speed than before. The ball experiences more friction, resulting in a greater loss of energy, and slowing the ball down more than before. From the player's perspective, a slower ball near the hoop is a good thing, because it's more likely to bounce into the hoop.
So you can see that it isn't luck, but physics, that makes shots with backspin likelier to land in the hoop.
4. Eureka! A basketball feels about 1.5 percent lighter than its true weight, because the air around it helps to lift it up.
A basketball is surrounded by air, and air pressure increases with depth. This means that the air below the ball pushes up harder than the air above it pushes down. This pressure difference creates an upwards buoyant force on the basketball. Archimedes taught us that the magnitude of this buoyant force equals the weight of the fluid (in our case, air) displaced by the object.
Plugging in numbers, we find that a basketball experiences an upwards force equal to 1.5 percent of its weight. In other words, a basketball feels lighter than its true weight, because the air around it helps to lift it up.
5. A spinning basketball deflects in its path due to uneven friction with the air.
There are four forces on a basketball as it flies through the air. You've got gravity, pulling the ball down to the Earth, the buoyant force, that's pushing the ball up, the drag force due to the air that the ball smashes into, opposing the ball's motion and slowing down. And finally, there's a fourth more subtle force, known as the Magnus force, which comes into play whenever the ball is spinning.
In 1852, Magnus wondered why cannonballs would often deflect in their path when shot out of a cannon. He realized that as the cannonball spins while flying through the air, it experiences uneven friction (or drag) with the air. This creates an unbalanced force on the cannonball, causing it to deflect sideways. (Newton, being Newton, had already worked this out about 180 years earlier, after watching Cambridge tennis players curve their shots.) Here's a nice video explainer on the Magnus effect, by Derek Muller of Veritasium.
The Magnus effect results in a small, but noticeable, curve in the motion of a spinning basketball. It's also what causes the curve of a baseball curveball.
As you can see, there's a lot that physics can teach us about science of basketball. Now, if only I could use this knowledge to improve my game.
In writing this post, everything I learned about basketball physics comes from the following two sources:
Brancazio, Peter J. "Physics of basketball." American Journal of Physics 49.4 (1981): 356-365.
An excellent physics paper on the physics of backspin, layups, and other fun stuff.
Fontanella, John J. "The Physics Of Basketball" The Johns Hopkins University Press (2006)
This book is the authoritative reference on the physics of basketball - it's a clearly explained and delightfully empirically zealous take on the subject. If you're read this far, you'll probably enjoy this book.
Illustrations: Aatish Bhatia Homepage image: j9sk9s via photopin cc
Physics in basketball - online presentation
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BPOU of the Vologda region “Cherepovets Forestry Mechanical College named after V. P. Chkalov” Physics and sports Completed by a student of the ME-11 group: Flegant A. E. Lecturer: Belushkina Yu. V. Physics in basketball Purpose of work: to show how knowledge of physics can be used in basketball Physics surrounds us everywhere , Whatever we do, wherever we go. Her laws accompany us. And even in sports they act. Basketball is a sport of the strong and young Today basketball - is an athletic game, which is characterized by high motor activity, great intensity game actions, requiring from the player
ultimate mobilization 90 capabilities and speed. The game consists in playing one against of one team of 5 and try to score more than balls in the enemy basket. In modern basketball, one can get high sports results by combining a good game with the use of physical laws. During the game, the player must take into account the physics of the throwing process: • Dependence of the body movement range on the flight angle; • The effectiveness of the completed pass is increased if the player is able to assess the strength of his legs and arms, applied to the ball to hit the ring or pass to a partner; • the use of the laws of conservation of the energy and momentum of the ball hit at the moment of its receipt has a great influence. This energy is transmitted to the flying ball by the player's hands . Laws of physics in basketball There are two sections in basketball technique: movement technique (kinetic) and ball handling technique (dynamic). Kinetic Structure Dynamic the structure is connected with the movement of the player in space and time: how he moves - quickly, but, along a straight line or along a curve, uniformly with acceleration. is related to throws of the ball. The dynamic structure is determined by the forces created by the player , which act at the moment of receiving a pass or of throwing Running Running is the main means of movement in the game. While running on player act friction force, gravity force, air resistance force . Running speed can increase due to muscular efforts. Jumps To jump, the player creates with his muscles such a "pushing force", which allows him to jump, get off the floor, overcoming the force of gravity. Throwing, passing When throwing and passing the ball, the player must evaluate the force created by his legs and arms and applied to the ball for "losing" the ring or passing the ball to a partner. Catching the ball At the moment when the ball is caught, a hit occurs, transfer of energy and momentum. The energy of the flying ball is transferred to the hands. Kick The essence of the game is to throw the ball into the ring. 99% of all balls that hit the upper corner of the "square" , after bouncing off the backboard will hit the ring; and there is a regularity : the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection (with elastic impact). RIGHT SNEAKERS Quick acceleration from a standstill, rapid movements of a basketball player in a game, maneuvers, turns, a sharp change of directions, the need to stop immediately - all this affects the outcome of the game. Properly selected basketball shoes will dampen the force of hitting the surface when jumping, create stability when moving. Basic requirements for basketball shoes: good grip on the playground; Jump Drum Softening leg loads; ensuring the freedom of movement of the athlete .
12.
correct shoes CORRECT SNEAKERS The outsole of the basketball shoe provides grip on surfaces and cushions vertical impacts when jumping. It should be wide and flat. The quality of the sole for indoors and for outdoors is different. Sole for smooth hall floors - soft, corrugated, anti-slip. Good clings to wood flooring rubber outsole. The herringbone pattern further enhances cornering and stopping grip. Basketball shoes for the street are equipped with a dense, hard sole , resistant to abrasion on asphalt. I think many people paid attention to the fact that while running or walking on the parquet, most of the sneakers make a rather nasty sound (squeak). It comes from the friction of the coated sole. Even though this sound is is unpleasant, it means that shoes like are usually of high quality and allow the athlete to brake in time and without problems . Conclusion: The laws of physics are present in basketball, and their knowledge helps to improve results in games. Thanks to this knowledge, the player maintains health, develops endurance and the will to achieve the goal. Talent wins matches, team play and intelligence win championships. Thank you for your attention!
2020
Contents:
1. Introduction 3
2. Main content of the project 4
2.1. Basketball technique. 4
2.2. Basketball rules. 5
2.3. Basketball problem. 5
2.4. Research results 7
3. Conclusion 8
4. List of sources used 8
1. Introduction
The relevance of the project lies in the fact that among all games basketball occupies one of the leading positions in the world in terms of popularity. But practice shows that it is not enough to know only the rules of this game. In modern basketball, you can get high sports results by combining a good game with the use of physical laws.
The practical significance of the project lies in the answer to the question: Which of the young people does not want to be strong, dexterous, enduring, have a harmoniously developed body and good coordination of movements?
Project aims to prove that the game of basketball obeys the laws of physics.
Project objectives:
Review and systematization of literary sources on this topic;
Conduct a detailed analysis of the basketball game.
Develop a mathematical model to describe the flight of a basketball thrown by a player into a basketball basket.
Object of the study is a game of basketball.
The subject of research is the possibility of applying the laws of physics when playing basketball.
We used the following research methods:
Theoretical analysis and generalization of literature data;
Experimental study and comparative analysis of the results obtained.
The hypothesis of the project is that if you apply the laws of mechanics in the basic techniques of playing basketball, then the technique of the game will become better.
The final product is a model to describe the flight of a basketball.
2. The main content of the project 2.1. Basketball technique.
Basketball is one of the most popular ball games. The basic rule of this game is to try to shoot the ball into the opposing team's basket and, accordingly, prevent the players of the other team from throwing it into their own basket.
The game is played on a rectangular court 28 m long and 15 m wide.
A ring 45 cm in diameter with a net stretched over it (without a bottom) is mounted at a height of 3.05 m on a backboard mounted on a stand parallel to the front lines of the court.
Technique of the game is a set of techniques that has developed in the process of development of basketball, allowing the most successful solution of specific competitive tasks.
Basketball technique is divided into two large sections:
Attack technique is divided into a) movement technique, b) ball possession technique;
Defense technique is divided into a) movement technique, b) ball tackling technique and counteraction;
Movement:
Running is the main vehicle in the game. A basketball player's run consists of jerks and accelerations. Running speed can increase due to muscle effort. During the run, the player is also affected by the force of friction, gravity, and the force of air resistance.
Catching the ball . At the moment when the ball is caught, there is a blow, a transfer of energy and momentum. The energy of the flying ball is transferred to the hands.
Jumping . To jump, the player creates with his muscles such a “pushing force”, which allows him to jump, break away from the floor, overcoming the force of gravity.
Throw, pass . When throwing and passing the ball, the player must evaluate the force generated by his legs and arms and applied to the ball to “hit” the ring or pass the ball to a partner.
2.2. Basketball rules.
Two teams are required, each with 12 players. 5 field players are considered, the rest, if necessary, replace the main team (the number of substitutions is not limited).
A basketball match consists of 4 quarters. The exact time depends on the basketball association hosting the meeting. For example, FIBA spends every quarter for 10 minutes, and NBA for 12. This is the so-called clean time. Break between quarters - 2 minutes, between two parts of the meeting - 15 minutes.
The ball may only be handled with the hands.
You can not run with the ball just holding it in your hands, hit the ball with your hand or foot, block with your body. Unintentionally touching any part of the leg is not considered a foul.
Points will be scored if the ball hits the inside of the basket.
Depending on the place of the throw and its distance from the net, a different number of points are awarded. During a penalty kick, the basketball referee gives 1 point, from close or medium distance - 2 points. If you manage to hit from behind the three-point line, it's 3 points. If a player makes a mistake and hits the ball in his own basket, in this case the opposing team receives 2 extra points.
2.3. Basketball problem.
We know that the essence of the game is to throw the ball into the ring. Observing, you can see that a large number of balls are scored not into the ring, but into the shield, while trying to hit the upper edge of the “square” drawn there. Since 99% of all balls that hit the upper corner of the “square” will hit the ring after being reflected from the shield, this “square” seems to make it easier to hit; moreover, the regularity applies: the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection (with elastic impact).
The trajectory of the ball that hit another place of the “square” or outside it, with its second part (after the ball is reflected from the backboard) will pass the ring (line b) in Fig. 1.).
We were faced with the task of developing a mathematical model that allows us to describe the flight of a basketball thrown by a player into a basketball basket.
The model should allow:
• calculate the position of the ball at any time;
• determine the accuracy of hitting the ball into the basket after a throw with different initial parameters.
Initial data:
• mass and radius of the ball;
• initial coordinates, initial speed and angle of the ball;
• coordinates of the center and radius of the basket. The motion of a basketball can be described in accordance with the laws of classical Newtonian mechanics.
Mathematical statement of the problem:
As parameters describing the movement of a basketball, you can use the coordinates of the center of mass of the ball x and y, speed (projection v x and v y on the x and y axes) of the center of mass of the ball.
Then, to determine the position of the ball at an arbitrary moment of time, it suffices to find the law of motion of the center of mass of the ball, i. e. dependence of x, y, v x , v y on time. As an estimate of the accuracy of the throw D, we will consider the horizontal distance (along the x axis) to the center of the basket ring, i.e. we will consider the difference of these distances at the time when the ball crosses the horizontal plane of the basket.
T.o. The conceptual formulation of the problem can be formulated as follows.
Determine the law of motion of a material point with mass m under the influence of gravity, if the initial coordinates of the point x 0 , y 0 are known, its initial velocity V 0 and the initial throw angle α. The center of the basket ring has coordinates x k , y k . Then we find the dependencies x(t), y(t), Vx(t), Vy(t) from the solution of the system of equations:
Under the following initial conditions:
Research results
During the game, the player must take into account the physics of the throwing process: the dependence of the body's movement range on the flight angle. This pattern is of great importance: it helps to increase the likelihood of the ball hitting the basket or the partner's hands, so it must be used in improving the accuracy of both jump shots and free throws;
The effectiveness of a pass is increased if the player is able to assess the strength of his legs and arms applied to the ball to hit the ring or pass to a teammate;
the use of the laws of conservation of energy and momentum of the impact of the ball at the moment of its receipt has a great influence. This energy is transferred to the flying ball by the hands of the player.
3. Conclusion
Thus, the experimentally revealed dependence of the technique for performing basic basketball techniques on the practical use of the laws of mechanics in the game by an experimental group of students from our school can be considered as a model of the effectiveness of the technical training of young basketball players.
It wants to stay in motion so the ball pushes into the ground when it hits, compressing the air inside. The ground pushes up with an equal, but opposite amount of force resulting in the ball bouncing back up in to your hand (Law #3). The energy in the compressed air is transferred back to the ball pushing it back into motion. If you were to take your hand away and stop dribbling, the ball would continue to bounce due to Newton’s first law, but would slow down and eventually stop due to friction. 
When forces collide, friction naturally slows things down over time and the more points of contact an object has with another surface the more friction comes into play. So the bumps on the basketball basically increase the surface area of the ball and the amount of friction acting on it. This makes the pebbled ball ideal for a player to grip, pass quickly, and dribble without fear that the ball will slip away in a random direction. 
A law of physics known as the conservation of angular momentum ensures that the ball will keep spinning at the same rate once it leaves the player's hands. But why is backspin helpful for a shooter?
You've got gravity, pulling the ball down to the Earth, the buoyant force, that's pushing the ball up, the drag force due to the air that the ball smashes into, opposing the ball's motion and slowing down. And finally, there's a fourth more subtle force, known as the Magnus force, which comes into play whenever the ball is spinning.
It's also what causes the curve of a baseball curveball.
P. Chkalov” 
correct shoes CORRECT SNEAKERS 
In modern basketball, you can get high sports results by combining a good game with the use of physical laws. 
For example, FIBA spends every quarter for 10 minutes, and NBA for 12. This is the so-called clean time. Break between quarters - 2 minutes, between two parts of the meeting - 15 minutes. 
e. dependence of x, y, v x , v y on time. As an estimate of the accuracy of the throw D, we will consider the horizontal distance (along the x axis) to the center of the basket ring, i.e. we will consider the difference of these distances at the time when the ball crosses the horizontal plane of the basket. 
This pattern is of great importance: it helps to increase the likelihood of the ball hitting the basket or the partner's hands, so it must be used in improving the accuracy of both jump shots and free throws; 
