BRINDISI – Yesterday (December 18), Vincenzo Schettini, popularizer and author of the instagram profile “The physics we like” made a post in which he showed the correlation between basketball and its discipline: physics.
Part of the video was shot in Brindisi at the PalaPentassuglia sports facility. A few weeks ago, Schettini was a guest at the Happy Casa to watch the basketball match against Venice.
The relationship with the city was further consolidated when, just a few days ago, the popularizer was once again a guest in the city: he participated in an event at the Nuovo Teatro Verdi, which saw the participation of many young people and the mayor Riccardo Rossi.
Basket physics
“How much physics is there behind the perfect basketball shot? – Thus begins Schettini in the post – In addition to the shooting angle and the release point from which the ball is – precisely – thrown, i.e. the height, there is also another fundamental thing and it’s called backspin: that is the rotation of the ball in reverse”.
“The number of perfect rotations is between two and three per second. There are two fundamental things that happen: the passage of the ball towards the air and the impact with the iron.”
“Once the ball is thrown, the speed of rotation combines with that of the air. The two vectors add up, generating a lower speed below and a higher speed above. Since air is a fluid, this results in a pressure difference : major below and minor above. The ball receives a push (Magnus effect) which counteracts the weight force and causes the ball to lose energy while – during its trajectory – it reaches the basket. Friction is generated with the impact on the basket. If the ball rotates instead of not rotating, the friction force is greater. – He concludes – With the greater loss of energy, the ball will more easily descend to the basket”.
