Controversy in Football In January 2015, footballs used in the playoff game betw

Question

Controversy in Football In January 2015, footballs used in the playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts were found to be underinflated, launching a media firestorm and allegations of misconduct. Eleven of the 12 footballs supplied by the Patriots were found to have air pressures under the minimum acceptable air pressure set by the NFL, leading some to believe that the Patriots may have been attempting to make the footballs easier for their players to catch. This raises an interesting question: ------------------------------------- Step #1 -- QUESTION: Is there a relationship between our ability to catch a football and its air pressure? ------------------------------------- Now that a question has been raised, we can use the scientific method to see if there is any validity to the idea. In the questions below, you will walk through the remaining steps of the scientific method, describing how you could either support or reject this idea. Answer each question briefly, but thoroughly.

Explanation / Answer

yes, there is a relationship between our ability to catch a football and its air pressure. A ball that is less inflated is easier to deform and grip,

Oftentimes, players will end up squeezing the football with their hand and trapping it against their chests. If we can deform the ball, if we can pinch the ball, then it's easier to stop. When the ball is slick (i.e. in rainy weather), the player's squeezing action becomes more important. Again, having a little lower pressure helps.

A deflated football has a smaller mass because it has fewer gas molecules inside of it. Assuming that the temperature is 0 degrees Celsius, the mass of the air in a football inflated to 12.5 psi is about 0.39 ounces (11 g). A football deflated to only 10 psi has a mass of 0.36 ounces (10.2 g). The difference is very less (about weight of a paper clip). Similarly, a difference of 2 psi in a football isn't that large.

It's also possible that the pressure of a football filled in a warm room will drop once it's taken into the cold outdoors. Colder gas molecules move more slowly, so they don't hit the walls as hard and so the pressure is less. it means easy to grip. on the basis of above measurement, we can support the idea that there a relationship between our ability to catch a football and its air pressure.

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