Up Next
Back to Show
NOVA
Why Kicking a Field Goal is Harder Than it Looks
Kicking a field goal seems pretty straightforward: you just kick the ball as hard as you can between the goal posts at the back of the end zone. But if it were that easy, then kickers would almost never miss. Join physicist Tim Gay and semi-pro football kicker Hermes Lima as they explain all the factors that go into kicking a successful field goal.
Support Provided By
53:51
Join scientists as they grab light from across the universe to prove quantum entanglement.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:21
Follow engineers and woodworkers as they rebuild an iconic American covered bridge.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:34
Follow the harrowing operation to rescue 12 boys stranded in a flooded cave in Thailand.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:15
How courage and ingenuity saved Allied troops during the epic Dunkirk operation in 1940.
53:26
Take a mind-blowing voyage to the most powerful and mysterious objects in the universe.
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:10
Scientists uncover geologic evidence of epic floods that tore through ancient landscapes.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:11
Experts reconstruct the Great Hurricane of 1780 to help predict the risk of future storms.
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:10
Scientists hunt for a mega-eruption that plunged medieval Earth into a deep freeze.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:55
Engineers race to build a massive dome to contain the crumbling remains of the reactor.