"The Magnus Effect..."

[mrrsm]

The Scientist Daniel Bernoulli was famous for two things:

(1) He published a paper that explained Fluid Dynamics for both Gases and Incompressible Liquids that explained the differential pressures that happen when solid objects move through gases and liquids. This is the principle that explains how and why Aeroplane wings cause lift... how why Carburettors work...(think Venturi here) and how and why Hydroplanes can cause huge ships to sail above the water... in short... he dreamed up "Bernoulli's Principle".

(2) His own father took credit for some of his work and published claims that these ideas were his...and not his son's intellectual creations.... Yeah.. Kinda Sucks...Huh?

The attached video will demonstrate another Fluid Dynamics Theory called "The Magnus Effect" that becomes evident in a demonstration of a basketball ball being thrown from the top precipice of a Dam both statically...and when tossed out while it is spinning:

EDIT:

Sorry about this ...but that cool video is being blocked for copyright issues...so This one will have to suffice and while not having the same "Wow" Effect... it still provides a good Scientific explanation of the "The Magnus Effect"

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=youtube+the+magnus+effect&t=hs&atb=v36-4__&ia=videos&iai=23f1jvGUWJs

 

[DAlastDON]

Very informative. With forward spin on the ball, would it go back toward the dam?

 

[mrrsm]

Yes... The direction of rotation directly affects which side the opposing air will form the drag on with a partial vacuum forming on whichever side is rotating with the direction the wind passing the basketball on the way down. That side experiences a slight lowering of the air pressure on THAT side of the Basketball and so the air pressure experienced on the opposite will be resisting the laminar flow of the air and with the slightly greater available air pressure on that side...it will wind up pushing the Basketball towards to the side with the lower air pressure. This action will become more and more extreme as the Ball picks up speed at 32 FPS-Per Second during the 415 Foot drop from the the top of the Dam...

(Damn...! LOL).

What is weird about this phenomena is that High End Sports Surgeons have become Rich performing "Tommy Johns Elbow-Tendon Surgery" on men who have tried too often to impart the forces that work so much more easy when applied to a symmetrical spinning object as large as a Basketball... but so much harder to achieve on the smaller, denser spheroid of a Baseball to impart the energy along with the momentum and power necessary to make the Baseball "misbehave" and perform these bizarre ballistic trajectories.

The repetitive motions and efforts the Pitchers will endure during their careers will eventually tear apart most Pitching Arms to shreds because the Bio-Mechanics of throwing a Baseball are counter-active to the Musculo-Skeletal Design of the Human Body. For example, Sandy Koufax had worn down his Arm and Shoulder so much while trying to gut out the last few games he played... that he almost became paralysed on the side of his Throwing Arm from nerve damage. Strangely enough... this phenomena does not necessarily require throwing the Baseball at 105 MPH like Vida Blue was famous for doing from time to time.

Rather ... it is the direction and angle of the harsh spinning action being imparted on the ball just as it is leaving the Pitcher's finger tips that makes all the difference as to what the ball does at various speed and altitudes. For example... it is much harder to throw a Breaking Ball in the Colorado Rockies Over a Mile Above Sea Level... than it would be if you threw one on the Banks of the Dead Sea...1,000 Feet below Sea Level. So where your Pitcher's Mound happens to be on the map of America when your rotation to throw comes up... does have a very big direct effect on how your Repertoire of Pitches will act when the Baseball is released.... where the Air Pressure will either be Greater of Lesser than the Weight of the Air holding at 14.7 PSI at "Sea Level" that will either help ...or hinder which way the Ball Breaks... Elevates ...Curves or Flies as a Fast Ball... Straight as an Arrow. Those surgeons would be out of business if Baseballs were the size of Basketballs. ;>)