Marne Ventura - Learning STEM from Basketball: Why Does a Basketball Bounce? And Other Amazing Answers for Kids!

Copyright 2021 by Marne Ventura All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Sky Pony Press books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Sky Pony is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyponypress.com . 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Manufactured in China, February 2021 This product conforms to CPSIA 2008 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. Cover design by Mona Lin Cover photographs: Getty Images Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5701-1 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-6048-6 Printed in China Table of ContentsIntroduction: Swish!City parks, country schoolyards, college gymnasiums, neighborhood drivewaysits hard to travel very far without seeing a basketball hoop. People everywhere shoot hoops for fun, for exercise, with a team, or to spend time with friends. Basketball is the only major sport that was invented completely in the United States of America. James Naismith was a physical education teacher at the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA) Training School (now Springfield College) in Massachusetts.

In December 1891, Naismith was in charge of a class of 18 restless students who enjoyed outdoor sports such as football and lacrosse. Naismiths job was to come up with an indoor game that would keep the students busy and entertained during the winter months. When he nailed two peach baskets to opposite ends of the gym balcony, divided his students into two teams and gave them a soccer ball, the game of basketball was born. A lively game of basketball is science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in action. STEM concepts can be found in the physics behind the bouncing of the ball, the workings of the electronic scoreboard, the engineering of a better sneaker, and the math behind a shot clock. Chapter OneThe Spectacular Science of the SportWhy does a basketball bounce? Imagine trying to dribble a basketball that hasnt been inflated.

Not much bounce, right? Basketballs bounce because they are filled with pressurized air and made with elastic materials. Air is made up of constantly moving molecules. Although we cant see them, they are busy vibrating, bumping into each other and everything around them. Air pressure is the weight of these molecules pressing against their surroundings. More molecules in a given space create higher air pressure. Less molecules in the same space create lower air pressure.

When a basketball hits the court floor, it pushes on the wood and the wood pushes back. The bottom of the ball flattens slightly. The air molecules inside the ball are squeezed into a smaller area. The crowded molecules respond by pushing back out. As they move apart, the ball returns to its round shape. Like a spring, this action pushes the ball back upward in a bounce.

Air pressure is measured by pounds per square inch (PSI). National Basketball Association (NBA) rules call for basketballs to be inflated between 7.5 and 8.5 PSI. This amount of air pressure gives the ball just the right amount of bounce. Temperature Air molecules expand and speed up as they warm. Their energy increases. When cold, they contract and slow down.

This is why a warm ball will bounce higher than a cold one. Credit: Fred VenturaWhy do players jump when they shoot? Stephen Curry is one of the best shooters in the NBA. Another reason for the jump is to get the ball above the player guarding the shooter, which enables them to better see the basket. Have you noticed that Stephen Curry does not jump straight up and come straight down when he shoots? After Curry releases the ball, he comes down to the ground with the upper part of his body angled slightly back, and his lower body slightly forward. By relaxing his body in this way, he transfers more energy from his body to the ball. Kenny Sailors Kenny Sailors introduced the jump shot in the 1930s. Kenny Sailors Kenny Sailors introduced the jump shot in the 1930s.

He formed the habit of jumping because he played with his older, taller brother. The only way for him to make a shot was to jump. What is hang time? Some pro basketball players seem to hang in midair when they jump for a slam dunk. Can LeBron James and Michael Jordan defy gravity? Do they have a super power? Super, yes! Supernatural, not at all. The illusion of hang time can be explained by the laws of physics. As the player rises, his speed slows.

When he reaches the top of the jump, gravity pulls him back down. His speed increases as he drops to the ground. His speed is faster at the beginning and end of the jump, and slower during the middle of the jump. For this reason, about 70 percent of the jump time is spent in the top half of the jump. Thats why it looks like hes hanging in the air. Credit: Fred VenturaHow Long? An average persons hang time is about 0.53 seconds.

A vertical jump of four feet leads to hang time of about one second. Michael Jordans longest hang time record is 0.92 seconds. Whats muscle memory? Muscle memory allows you to do certain actions without really focusing on each step. The expression Its like riding a bicycle describes muscle memory. Once you learn to ride a bike, you dont think too hard about ityou just hop on and pedal. Forming a habit is another name for muscle memory.

Scientists have shown that there are actually changes in the shape of your brain that occur during muscle memory formation.