Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Having problems finding research and resources on my topic. Around the World: The geometry of shooting basketballs. Take shots at a set distance from the basket, but systematically vary the angle to the backboard. Does shooting from different angles facing the basket affect shooting percentage?

Hi Cade4nie,

This particular Project Idea is an abbreviated one (indicated by the asterisk next to the title). So, you'll need to fill in the details of the procedure yourself. Your question, "Does shooting from different angles facing the basket affect shooting percentage?" is precisely the question that you want to design an experiment to answer. I, too, looked (rather unsuccessfully) for some references that might provide some context for you. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to find any good leads for you there.

If you are at the same distance from the hoop, and shooting from the same height, then the set of parabolas that will get the ball in the hoop will be the same. But, I can imagine that a person's perception of distance to the hoop might change as they see oblique views of the backboard. So, even though the parabola they need to make through the hoop with nothing but net is unchanged, they may adjust their throw because of the different visual image. If people rely on hitting the backboard and the ball bouncing into the hoop, then changing the angle at which the ball encounters the background will change the direction the ball rebounds (along with the partitioning of energy and momentum into the backboard versus into the ball). That might change people’s shooting percentage. These are just guesses, however.

I think the best approach here is to design a thorough experiment, brainstorm possible factors that might possibly cause a relationship between angle and shooting success, and then see what your data reveal. I'm happy to help you with experimental design, if needed.

I replied to someone's question about a similar project (with soccer goals, instead of basketball shots - but the principle is the same), which you may find helpful.
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... hp?t=12563

I also need help i'm doing the Seebeck effect are there any TRUSTED website,book, etc. On the subject, All i have in Encyclopedia Britanica

Hi Greenx234,

The Encyclopedia Britannica is a good resource to start with. You can also try searching Google scholar (scholar.google.com) for peer-reviewed material. This article discusses the Seebeck effect (along with some other things): http://micromachining.nl/pdffiles/art/1986-tsse.pdf