The Physics of Basketball
Tumble Science Podcast for Kids
00:00
What's Mechanical Advantage?
Mechanical advantage is a measure of force, or the amount of energy put into moving something. If you try to rotate an object about a specific axis, the farther out you apply the force that increases how much tork you can apply to it. So when he was standing at his full height, it was relatively easy for the other players to move him around. But when he's down low, the other players need to use more force to move him. Had john boxed out and been down low, he would have had the mechanical advantage. Those shorter guys who pushed him out of the way to get the game winning rebound would have had a lot harder time doing so.
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