Up Next
Back to Show
NOVA
How the Magnus Force Curves Soccer and Baseballs
When a ball traveling through the air is spinning, some physics known as the magnus force kicks in to make it bend or curve. The magnitude of the magnus force depends on the ball’s rate of spin as well as its mass, velocity, radius, and the density of the air around it.
Support Provided By
53:34
Explore the spectacular cosmic phenomenon of a total solar eclipse.
53:30
Explore the promise and perils of new A.I. technologies.
53:10
Follow the quest to recover DNA millions of years old for the very first time.
53:29
Explore the engineering behind Paris’s iconic landmark, the tallest structure of its time.
53:17
New evidence reveals the real story of Easter Island and the builders of its stone heads.
53:31
Giant fossils uncovered in the Sahara Desert reveal new secrets of how whales evolved.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:30
A family turns to science in their struggle to rediscover a history obscured by slavery.
53:54
Follow the quest to create a lifesaving malaria vaccine.
53:20
The inside story of China’s meteoric rise to the forefront of global innovation.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:15
How did Earth give rise to humans? See what made our species' existence possible.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:45
How did life bounce back after a cataclysmic extinction wiped out some 90% of all species?
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:47
See how life made the leap to land, turning a barren landscape into a lush, green world.