Two scientists say that deflate-gate isnt entirely hot air. Deflating the ball does give a team an advantage, says materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez, the author of Newtons Football, a book about the science of football. Ramirez says the slightly softer football improves the grip. Particularly during that game which was very rainy, its hard to hold the ball, its hard to catch the ball, she says. So by making it a little softer, its easier to catch the ball. John Eric Goff, a physicist at Lynchburg College in Virginia and author of Gold Medal Physics, agrees. However, underinflating a ball also carries a slight disadvantage: If you reduce the mass of the ball, which happens if you let a little bit of air out, the ball can decelerate faster when you throw it, he says. And that means it wont go as far on each throw. On balance, Ramirez and Goff agree, grippiness trumps the mass problem. Still, Goff doubts the ball was deliberately deflated. For one thing, he thinks both teams would benefit. (Though the way Colts quarterback Andrew Luck played, Goff says, the overall advantage would go to New England.) More important, the referees handle the ball every play. Theyd feel if it was deflated. You just cant imagine a ball being underinflated for a significant portion of the game to make a difference, and not be noticed by the referee, he says. However, Ramirez says tampering has happened before. In the 1990s, kickers in the NFL were secretly trying to soften up the ball to make it go farther. They tried all sorts of tricks: Microwave it, hammer it, Gatorade it, steam bath it, put it in the dryer. Inflate it. Deflate it, she says.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 06:53:08 +0000
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