A Physics concept called the "Magnus Effect" has taken the Internet by storm as YouTube channel Veritasium posted a video of an actual application of the said science. The video featuring the guys from the trick basketball group How Ridiculous, posted the video on Wednesday, July 15 and has garnered over 9 million likes as of this writing.
The guys involved in the experiment went to the top of the Gordon Dam in Tasmania, which stands about 415 feet in altitude, to set the Guinness World Record for the highest-altitude basketball shot. They were successful but in the process, they also demonstrated in a video how the Magnus Effect works. First, one of the guys dropped a basketball without any extra spins or movements, which landed right below where it was released. In the second trial, the guy dropped another basketball, but this time, he put a little spin before releasing it, revealing an incredible show of little gravity defiance - sort of. The ball travelled all the way to the dam, where it also formed ripples.
The science behind the now viral video is called the Magnus effect, which was first described by physicist Gustav Magnus in 1852.
"As the basketball picks up speed, air on the front side of the ball is going the same direction as its spin, and therefore it gets dragged along with the ball and deflected back," explains Derek Muller from Veritasium in the video. The air on the other side of the ball and the direction where the ball spins move in opposite directions. This results in the flow separating from the ball instead of being subjected to deflection. In the end, the air that is spinning with the ball exerts an opposite force; hence, the ball is pushed significantly forward.
The Magnus Effect can also be applied in other sports such as soccer, golf and tennis. The winning kicks of David Beckham are said to be explained by the Magnus Effect as well. The scientific concept may also explain how ships sailed through rotating cylinders and early versions of aircrafts operated by rotating devices work.
Watch the video here:
