The Physics of Basketball

by John J. Fontanella

Drain three pointers, slam dunk easily, and sink that buzzer beater from half court with the help of simple science. Your coach, physicist John J. Fontanella, shows how you can improve your game if you take advice from Isaac Newton. As you read, relive some of the great moments in the game―this time with a scientist and diehard basketball fan as your color analyst. Find out why you ought to put spin on the ball. Get tips on how to improve your free throw and increase your percentage from the charity stripe. You’ll even learn how to shatter the backboard, if that’s something you’ve always dreamed of doing.

With photographs and simple high school formulas, physics professor Fontanella―who played in college against Pittsburgh and Syracuse―reveals the key pieces of physics that underscore basketball. He covers almost every aspect of the game, weaving in stories from games he’s played and games he’s seen, and tales from basketball history and folklore. Physics comes alive as you see how Kobe Bryant, Wilt “the Stilt” Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Becky Hammon, and J. J. Reddick do naturally the things that Isaac Newton says they should.

Genres: Physics, Sports

168 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2006

Reviews

[Ryan LaZur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neither overly simple nor overly complicated, but kind of hard to follow in the more math heavy sections that reference quantities like 'angle of attack' that most readers (and even seasons physicists like myself) are not immediately comfortable with.

I thought the author's voice really came through, it didn't feel like I was reading a textbook. I personally found it endearing that the author gives his opinion about how the slam dunk should be worth one point or that the Woman's UK vs Yale game was the best game of basketball ever played or something.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years, I have found it fascinating to read books on the physics of baseball. Curve balls do curve, knuckle balls do knuckle and scientists have come to admit to the facts that the experimentalists (baseball players) have known for decades. In this book, Fontanella, a physics professor at the United States Naval Academy and a former college basketball player, analyzes the many ways a basketball can bounce. It is very detailed yet extremely entertaining. It is so specific that he points out how much less a basketball weighs as a consequence of air buoyancy. Even to the point where he compares the differences in the weights between the balls used in the women's game versus the men's game. While that part was not of great interest, the rest certainly was.

Like the baseball players, the basketball players have carried out a lot of empirical research. However, not to the extent that Fontanella has. He is very specific about the best angle for a shot, where the "sweet spot" is on the backboard when attempting a layup and even to the distortion affects on a basketball when it is bounced. While the latter may not appear significant, it is critical for shooting percentages. As the author points out, very few shots are "nothing but net." Most make some contact with the rim and many bounce off the rim before going through the net. The manner in which the ball bounces off the rim is critical. If you have ever played, you know the difference between a soft shot and a "brick."

This is not a book where the author expresses his love for the game and then throws in a bit of physics. It is a serious treatise on basketball with enough formulas so that it could be used in a high school or college physics class. That part was impressive; many coaches would find an examination of this book time well spent.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission and this review appears on Amazon

[Ethan Armstrong · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping my game would benefit more from reading this, but actually - Ray Allens don't study physics to master the art of the jump shot - good shooters are built from a dogged attitude, a relentless work ethic, and a love of the game. However, this book could be very valuable for a shooting coach.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the stuff in here even a casual pickup player like me knows, even if players don't know the physics behind shooting, passing, and etc. The author warns up front that the physics get pretty deep, and they do. Still if you are willing to wade through a lot of formulas and etc., you may pick up a few things, whether you play, or whether you just enjoy watching the game.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating stuff. Some of the details got a little boring, but overall, really, really interesting read.

[Cobe Scroggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay it was kinda hard to understand. The author was always changing the subject and it was hard to keep up