🤖 AI Summary
Overview
This episode dives deep into the physics of throwing a football, featuring Tom Brady, widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time. It explores the science behind spirals, aerodynamics, gyroscopic procession, and the subtle effects that make throwing a football both an art and a science.
Notable Quotes
- Man, your drag coefficient sucks. We need .14. .85, no good.
– Tom Brady, humorously reflecting on aerodynamic principles.
- I practiced in it all the time. I knew exactly what to wear for every single condition.
– Tom Brady, on how mastering outdoor conditions gave him an edge.
- Even the GOAT can’t throw a perfect spiral.
– Derek Muller, summarizing the impossibility of perfection in football physics.
🏈 The Physics of a Spiral Throw
- Tom Brady explains that a tight spiral is achieved through light grip pressure, efficient mechanics, and a smooth wrist snap at release.
- Spinning the ball stabilizes its orientation, reducing drag and increasing accuracy and distance.
- Without spin, a football tumbles unpredictably due to uneven air resistance, exposing more surface area and increasing drag by up to 10 times.
🔬 Gyroscopic Procession and the Turnover Paradox
- Gyroscopic procession explains why a spinning football gradually pitches downward during flight, aligning with its parabolic trajectory.
- This wobble, often seen as a flaw, is essential for minimizing drag and ensuring the ball follows its intended path.
- Even Tom Brady’s throws exhibit a slight wobble and drift, proving that perfection is impossible due to inherent aerodynamic forces.
🌬️ Outdoor vs Dome Stadiums
- NFL data shows throws in indoor stadiums are consistently more accurate due to the absence of wind.
- Brady preferred outdoor games despite the challenges, citing better depth perception and familiarity with varying conditions.
- His meticulous preparation for weather—down to clothing layers and hand warmers—gave him a competitive edge in adverse conditions.
📈 The Subtle Drift of Right-Handed Throws
- Right-handed throws tend to drift slightly to the right due to lift generated by the ball’s tilt during turnover.
- This phenomenon was noticed by players like Jerry Rice, who had to adjust when catching passes from left-handed quarterbacks.
- The drift is subtle but highlights the complex interplay of aerodynamics in football.
🚀 Speed and Spin Rate Analysis
- Brady’s throws reach speeds of up to 60 mph (100 km/h) with spin rates of 628 revolutions per minute.
- Wind tunnel tests confirmed that even Brady’s throws wobble slightly, a necessary feature for optimal flight.
- The episode concludes with a teaser for future experiments on football design and secret techniques used by teams to gain an edge.
AI-generated content may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon as a sole source of truth.
📋 Video Description
Even the GOAT Tom Brady can’t throw a perfect spiral. Here’s why. 🌏 Get exclusive NordVPN deal here ➵ https://NordVPN.com/veritasium It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!✌
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A huge thank you to Tom Brady for coming and throwing some footballs with us and letting us analyse his throw. You can check out his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@tombrady
Also thank you to Kevin Bonner and the team at Shadow Lion for helping make this happen!
A big thanks to Daniel Hare and Wilson for all their help collecting and analyzing the data.
A massive thank you to Prof. Philip Ansell, David Attig, Matt Brotnow, Sam Hince and Derrick Wiberg at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for all their work testing out footballs in their wind tunnel (more of that to come in our second video).
We’d also like to shout out Stewart Bible, Ryan Sayko and the rest of the team at Resolved Analytics for all their work on the CFD models - https://www.resolvedanalytics.com/
Thank you to Mike Lopez and Tom Bliss from the Football Data and Analytics at the NFL for sharing data and insights from across NFL history.
We’re incredibly grateful to Prof. Richard Price and Major Brett Gibbons for their invaluable contributions to this video.
Thank you to Prof. Chad Orzel, Prof. John Eric Goff, Dr Ainissa Ramirez, Prof. Tony Schmitz & Jonathan Ferguson for all their help on the project.
Also thanks to Chris Anstis for his help as a stand-in QB!
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0:00 How Tom Brady Throws a Football
2:51 Why do you spin a football to throw it?
5:36 How does rifling affect a projectile?
9:09 The Turnover Paradox
11:15 How fast can Tom Brady throw?
14:31 Analysing Brady’s Throw
16:38 Gyroscopic Procession
19:47 It’s impossible to throw straight
23:17 Outdoor vs Dome Stadiums
24:31 Why Tom Brady is the GOAT
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References:
References can be found here - https://ve42.co/BradyReferences
Images & Video:
Image and video references can be found here - https://ve42.co/BradyVisuals
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Producer & Director: Henry van Dyck
Writing: Henry van Dyck & Derek Muller
Editor: Trenton Oliver
Animators: Mike Radjabov & Fabio Albetelli
Illustrator: Jakub Misiek
Researchers: Emilia Gyles & Gabe Strong
Field Producer: Katy Savage
Camera Operators: John Nicholls, Trenton Oliver, Melkwych Pierre-Louis & Scott Wellington
Drone Operators: Nathan Taupez Scinto, Angelo Fiorini
Sound Recordist: Vlady Garcia
Production Assistant: Leah Jiji
Media Manager: Gabriel C. Rodriguez
Assistant Editor: James Stuart
Thumbnail Designers: Ren Hurley & Ben Powell
Production Team: Josh Pitt, Rob Beasley Spence, Tori Brittain & Barbara Abraul
Executive Producers: Derek Muller & Zoe Heron
Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images
Music from Epidemic Sound