Bouncing, Curving and Spinning: The Science of Sports
Written by Tom Cohen
Last updated · 11 min play time
Sports is all about physics. The more you know about how things move, crash into each other, spin, and soar through the air, the better athlete you'll be. See how much you know about the science of sports in this challenging quiz!
Every time you throw a pitch, take a shot, swing a bat or bounce a ball, you're using science! There's nothing more important to the performance on the field or the court than a firm understanding of the way things move.
In this quiz, we're going to test your knowledge of the physics behind some of the most popular sports, from basketball to baseball to billiards. The more you know about how things move, the better you'll do on this ultimate test of sports science brain power
Quiz written by
Tom CohenI'm a 3-time Emmy-winning game show producer, writer, director and published author. I dig traveling, watching hockey, photographing wildlife and exploring the cultural and social fabric of society.
Science of Sports Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 139 Plays · No comments
Question 1
In a band, the center of percussion might refer to the drummer right in the middle, But when talking about the science of tennis rackets, what happens when the ball hits the center of percussion?
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AYou're guaranteed to win the volley
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BThe ball will break the racket
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CThe hand feels the least vibrations
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DIt makes the loudest noise
The hand feels the least vibrations
The center of percussion on a tennis racket is spot where the force felt by your hand is at a minimum. When you hit the ball exactly at this spot you feel the least amount of vibrations run up your arm.
Question 2
In skateboarding, when you kick off a curb to get yourself moving so you can start your rad routine, what law of physics are you demonstrating?
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ABernoulli's Principle
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BOhm's Law
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CArchimedes Principle
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DNewton's Third Law of Motion
Newton's Third Law of Motion
Newton's Third Law of Motion states that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." When you push off with your foot to get your board moving, you're sending the same amount of energy into the curb from your leg muscles.
Question 3
If you want to be an Olympic athlete, don't slack off during Physics class. In which of these Olympic sports is rotational - or angular - momentum NOT a key component to success?
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AFigure skating
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BGymnastics
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CDiving
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DSprinting
Sprinting
Angular momentum is the increase in speed when body position is changed. A good example of angular momentum in action is when figure skaters start a spin by pulling in her arms to lessen the Moment of Inertia. By the Conservation of Momentum Principles, the angular speed must then increase.
Question 4
As a cyclist cuts through the air, he produces a slipstream that trails behind him, which is then used by the cyclist behind him to make it easier to pedal. About how much less energy does a cyclist using a slipstream use?
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A33%
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B50%
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C67%
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D100%
33%
A cyclist using a slipstream from another cyclist will use about one-third less energy than if he wasn't using the slipstream. This strategy is why Olympic riders form a peloton, or group together, during races.
Question 5
A basketball bouncing back to your hand when you dribble. A cue ball sending a numbered pool ball into the pocket. What physics principle are these examples of?
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ABouncy hard ball syndrome
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BInelastic collision
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CElastic collision
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DMagnus effect
Elastic collision
When a ball bounces back with the same force it had when it left your hand, or propels a ball with the same speed that it hit it with, that's elastic collision. When a billiard ball crashes into a second, identical ball and comes to a sudden stop, knocking the second ball away with almost all the momentum the first ball had originally, that's about as close as we ever get to an elastic collision.
Question 6
In 2005, hard-hitting reporting by Scientific American magazine finally revealed why golf balls have dimples. What did they determine was the reason?
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ADimples just make them look cuter
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BDimples make it easier for the club to hit the ball
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CDimples prevent water from coating the ball
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DDimples decrease the wake on a ball
Dimples decrease the wake on a ball
The article explained: "Dimples on a golf ball create a thin turbulent boundary layer of air that clings to the ball's surface. This allows the smoothly flowing air to follow the ball's surface a little farther around the back side of the ball, thereby decreasing the size of the wake."
Question 7
Surfing is about more than being tan and using totally tubular slang words. There's actual science involved! What effect does having a curve at the end of a surfboard create?
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ABending
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BDrafting
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CPlaning
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DFlexing
Planing
Everything from the biggest ocean liner to the smallest surfboard has a curved front edge, because if you push a curved edge over water, the curve makes water travel more quickly underneath than on top. This generates an upward force called lift that moves you up out of the water a little bit. This effect is called planing.
Question 8
In archery, maintaining aerodynamics through wind resistance is a key component of keeping an arrow on target. What is the name for the fin-shaped feathers or plastic material that keeps arrows from veering off course?
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AFletching
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BStriker
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CFlutter
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DBarbing
Fletching
As described on Wikipedia: "Fletching is the fin-shaped aerodynamic stabilization device attached on arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, typically made from light, semi-flexible materials such as feathers." Incidentally, the person who attaches fletchings to the shaft of arrows is called a "fletcher".
Question 9
In badminton, the shuttlecock is known for its featured, tapered end. What force is this feathered end specifically meant to produce?
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ALift
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BDrag
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CAcceleration
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DThrust
Drag
If you've ever hit a badminton birdie, you'll know that it takes an extra amount of "oomph" to hit it very far. That's because of the drag that's caused by the feathered, coned end of the birdie.
Question 10
The Magnus Effect has got to be the coolest-sounding effect in the physics world. Which of these is an example of the Magnus Effect in action?
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AA Dodge Magnum winning a car race
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BThe sound a basketball swish makes
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CA frisbee gliding straight through the air
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DA pitcher's curveball
A pitcher's curveball
In physics, the Magnus Effect is the force exerted on a rapidly-spinning sphere moving through air in a direction at an angle to the axis of spin. This force is responsible for the swerving of balls when hit or thrown with spin. In other words, it causes things to curve.
Question 11
To compete in the Olympics, you need to eat more calories a day than you would if you were just sitting at home writing trivia questions. Before the Beijing Olympics, how many calories did Michael Phelps claim to eat a day?
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A8,000
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B50,000
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C12,000
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D5,000
12,000
Phelps later admitted that the 12,000 calorie per day diet was just a myth, but he added that he's been known to eat up to 10,000 per day to keep up with his grueling training and the power needed to compete at the highest levels.
Question 12
Finish this quote from an article called "The Science of Sports" on the website Explain That Stuff: "Just as long jump is all about the conservation of angular momentum, so pole vaulting is about the conservation of..." what?
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APower
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BMatter
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CEnergy
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DMass
Energy
The site goes on to say: "Consider what happens during a pole vault: you start off running toward the bar with the pole in your hands. After you've picked up speed, you have a fair bit of kinetic energy. To lift your body a certain distance in the air, you need to give it a certain amount of potential energy. The pole helps you convert horizontal into vertical motion, and it does so by converting your kinetic energy into potential energy."
Question 13
In real life, the term "impulse" usually applies to a split-second decision like whether to spend way too much money shopping online. But in the science of sports, which of these actions is a good example of the force known as "impulse"?
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AA linebacker tackling another player
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BA croquet player kneeling
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CA long jumper jumping
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DA hockey player skating
A linebacker tackling another player
In physics, an impulse is the product of the applied force and the time over which that force is applied. When two players are running full speed at each other on a football field they build up their momentum. At the point of contact, a tackler must apply an impulse by hitting the ball carrier.
Question 14
When it comes to the sport of swimming, which of the following statements is more science fiction than science fact?
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AYou can swim faster in salt water than fresh water
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BSwimming caps actually slow a swimmer down
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CChampion swimmers can achieve a power of 1200 watts
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DThe force of buoyancy is always acting on a swimmer
Swimming caps actually slow a swimmer down
Of course, swimming caps don't slow a swimmer down, otherwise why would Michael Phelps wear one?? In fact, a swimming cap is critical to counteract the drag caused when hair and water create friction.
Question 15
In bowling, math and science are all part of the fun. Assuming your odds of bowling a strike in any frame are 50-50, what are the odds of bowling 12 consecutive strikes - a perfect game?
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A1 in 2
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B1 in 840
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C1 in 4096
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D1 in 1244
1 in 1244
Multiply 1 in 2 by itself 12 times and you'll get your answer. Most people aren't good enough bowlers to get a strike 50% of the time, though, so your odds of throwing a perfect game are far lower than these are.
Question 16
Bat corking in baseball is illegal because it can lead to a hitter hitting the ball farther than a regular bat. When a bat is corked, what difference will it have from a normal bat?
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AIt has a lower frequency
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BIt makes the bat longer
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CIt has a higher frequency
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DNo difference at all
It has a lower frequency
The natural frequency of wooden bats is around 250 cycles per second. If the bat has been hollowed and corked, it's no longer as stiff and it will get an even lower natural frequency and an even less efficient transfer of energy to the bat. This allows the ball to travel further.
Question 17
Whether a ball is thrown, kicked, or spiked, you're always trying to transfer as much kinetic energy from your body to the ball as possible. Which of the following balls has the most kinetic energy in it when moving with the same velocity?
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AGolf ball
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BSoccer ball
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CShot put
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DBocce ball
Shot put
The amount of kinetic energy in a ball depends a lot on its weight. Even though golf balls travel super fast, the weight of the shot put gives it much more kinetic energy the smaller ball.
Question 18
They called him Air Jordan for a reason. When a basketball player jumps, he appears to hang in the air because momentum and gravity fight each other. About what percentage of the jumper's time is spent in the upper half of his jump?
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A50%
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B30%
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C10%
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D70%
70%
Because a baller slows down as his jump heads up in the air, he's going the slowest in the upper half of his jump. Then he gains speed as he falls, going faster in the bottom half. Therefore, he spends the most time in the upper half of the jump.
Question 19
In parenting, the "trampoline effect" is how you keep your noisy kids busy during the long summer months. But in sports, what piece of equipment can perform differently depending on its "trampoline effect"?
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ABadminton birdie
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BFootball helmet
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CBasketball rim
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DBaseball bat
Baseball bat
The trampoline effect is defined as the bouncing back of the baseball bat off either a wooden or aluminum bat. What the bat is made of can have a profound effect on this effect.
Question 20
Speaking of baseball, a 2017 Washington Post article revealed that the average launch angle of a Major League batter when he hits the ball was what?
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A25.9 degrees
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B22 degrees
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C88 degrees
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D11.5 degrees
11.5 degrees
As reported by the Post: "More batters are focusing not only on hitting the ball hard, but hitting the ball high into the air. The average launch angle — the angle at which the ball flies after being hit — rose from 10.5 degrees in 2015 to 11.5 degrees in 2016." The sweet spot, where home runs are most likely, is about 25% to 35%.
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