Slow-motion replays of deep passes have mesmerized fans of American football for decades. The impossibly long, steady arc of a well-thrown ball is a thing of beauty.  In contrast, players sometimes refer to wobbly passes as ugly ducks, although just why isn't entirely clear, since ducks fly pretty well.

In any case, the tight spirals coming out of the hands of the New York Giant's Eli Manning and the New England Patriot's Tom Brady are also demonstrations of physics, as Ainissa Ramirez, a Yale University professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, explains in her new Science Xplained video here.

4 Comments

1. 1. Jan Cosgrove 05:51 PM 2/4/12

   God god, I thought you meant FOOTBALL (you know the game played nationally by most countries). Ah well, magic and mystery may remain there mayhap ....

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

2. 2. plexed 08:56 PM 2/4/12

   Well, the "gyroscope" action of the spinning doesn't exactly help it hit its target (i.e. it's not self-guided). The spinning gives it angular momentum that tends to keep it oriented forward, giving it the least wind resistance.
   

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

3. 3. Nehmo 10:40 AM 2/5/12

   Is there anything that isn't "full of physics"?
   `~- Nehmo

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

4. 4. Chrysallis 11:28 PM 2/10/12

   Of course, the laws of physics apply to football and to all the other sports such as baseball, basketball, soccer (the real football), etc. It's absurd to be gushing about something that's not unique to this game. It would be more impressive if it were in defiance of the laws of physics.
   
   

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this