Physics of Basketball

Physics of Basketball Basketball was invented in December 1891 by James Naismith. In the beginning, basketball had nine players, and the goals were wooden posts and baskets posted to the walls. James Naismith was the Canadian physical educator instructor. James Naismith James Naismith was born November 6, 1861 in Almonte Canada and died on November 28, 1939 in Laurence, Kansas, U.S.A. Some famous players are Michael Jordan and Ray Allen. A basketball cost 69 cents in 1891. The offical basketball of NBA usually costs $25 The best NBA player of all time is considered to be Michael Jordan. Some interesting facts are: 1. The first men's college basketball was played on January, 18 1896 between the University of Iowa and the University of Chicago. 2. In 1967 slam dunks were made illegal. 3. In 1976 slam dunks were made legal again. 4. The first NCAA college basketball tournament, which is now known as March Madness, was played in 1939. 5. In 1913, the bottom of the basketball net is left open for the first time- meaning it was no longer necessary to retrieve the ball from the net, once a basket was scored. 6. In 1920, the backboards were moved two feet from the wall of the court. Before this rule cahnge, players would climb the padded wall to sink baskets. 7. In 1986, the three- point field goal is introduced with the three-point line set at 19 feet, 9 inches from the center of the basket. 8. Basketball became an Offical Olympic event at the Summer Games in Berlin, Germany in 1936. 9. The Boston Celtics have won the most NBA Championships (17), including seven straight from 1960 to 1966. 10. Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, who played 20 seasons in the NBA, holds the record for most points scored in a career with 38,387. NBA/NCAA- regulation basketball court dimension is 94' long by 50' wide. High School basketball court demension measure 84' long by 50' wide. Jr. High Basketball Court demension measure 74' long by and 42' wide. I have some experience with basketball. I used to play it, and my Dad refs it. Newton's First Law of Motion in Basketball: -Players must be careful how they dribble the ball because the ball will just keep dribbing for a while if something doesn't stop it. -Shooting the ball has to do with gravity. The ball is being pulled to Earth by gravity. If the player shoots the ball at the right angle and velocity, the ball will go through the basket. -Difference in shot strength. When a player is somewhat far from the basket, she/he will have to apply more force to the ball then if she/he is close to the basekt. Newton's Second Law of Motion in Basketball: -Newton's Second Law is very important; it allows basektball players to shoot the ball at the right strength. -Also, when a player is running or jumping, the more force the player exerts, the higher or faster he or she will jump or run. -You can also calculate force being applied to the basektball and the acceleration of the basketball. -When a basketball player applies a large force to the basketball, it accelerates into high velocity. If the ball had more mass, that same force would not accelerate the ball to such a high velocity. Gravity will keep you on the ground. The floor is pushing up, and gravity is pushing you down, so you stay still. When a basketball has spin and hits one or he other, the contact made between the two objects will cause the ball to change its veloctiy. Without spin, the ball would bounce off the backboard at almost the same angle at which it hit the backboard because the balls elastic surface would help to conserve most of its energy and friction, would be a av very small detriment to this conservation as shown below. Thanks for watching! The End