In the 80s, if we were playing a team from another country in their stadium, we would need to get the ball that they use. We could blind test balls. The players didn't like it because there's a long history of long diagonal passes,. And for that, you're going to clock over the 50 mile an hour speeds when you hit the ball. This then affects the coefficient goal ratio within games.
What physics are at play in The FIFA World Cup? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly explore all the science of soccer with physics professor John Eric Goff. Is this year’s official ball made for scoring goals?
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/physics-of-the-2022-world-cup-with-john-eric-goff/
Photo Credit: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Photographer name), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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