Peach Basket to NBA Basketball: More Than Meets the Eye
There is more than meets the eye when you look at a sports event. The basketball is a perfect example.
Using mathematics, the first article ("Trash or Treasure, Peach Basket to NBA Basketball") details a deeper "seeing" of a basketball.
Did you think that was all? No. There is always more.
I am only attempting to make you aware of the mathematical concepts behind basketball.
Focusing on the human aspect of the game is good; being mindful of the scientific aspects of the game is better; and adding in the stochastic or probabilistic components are even more fascinating.
Definitely, the goal is to wake you up and let you know that there is "always more than meets the eye."
During a class on August 4, 2009, the students sketched a semicircle, showing its domain, range, and maximum on the y-axis. I might add that the class on August 3, 2009, rotated the semicircle around the x-axis to generate a three-dimensional spheroid. That's the shape of a basketball!
The students who love NBA basketball and its players, including Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), and Michael Jordan (formerly with the Chicago Bulls), talked about how each of these professionals handled the basketball.
Now, the young people have a deeper view of the design and characteristics of the basketball they dribble, pass, and shoot.
The shape of the ball can be generated by revolving a semicircle about the x-axis. The focus tonight was the fact that the semicircle is a smooth curve which is continuous on the selected interval of discussion.
The semicircle has a maximum on the interval of discussion. At its maximum, there can be a horizontal tangent line.
There is more, and this is just a bird's eye view.
One of my students showed me how to use Microsoft Word and the "snipping tool" in order to create a picture (see above) of the mathematical derivations related to the basketball.
I just wonder whether any basketball players in the NCAA or NBA would remember the mathematics that we discussed.
It's the 21st century and maybe it is time for us to dig deeper, see further, and think higher, perhaps in higher dimensions.
After all, when a professional basketball player throws a ball, he believes he is in control. Again, there is more than meets the eye: The earth is rotating at about 1,000 mph, and it is hurling (like a frisbee) at about 67,000 mph.
Isn't it amazing that the ball goes almost exactly where Bryant and James, for example, shot the ball.
Don't be overwhelmed. Just be a lifelong learner, even if you are learning about basketball.
Postlude on the Elegant Universe
