Geometry in basketball

Hello everybody! Welcome back to my blog. Today we are going to talk about geometry in something I have always been really interested in but never had the chance to take in professionally. That is basketball!

Out of the many sports that exist, I believe basketball is one of the best examples in which we can find lots of aspects of geometry. This is why in my geometry blog basketball could not be left out. Let's get into it then!

The very first thing I want to talk about is the basketball court which is a rectangle measuring 28 metres long and 15 metres wide. On it, we can observe parallel lines, rectangles, circles, semicircles, arcs of circumference, and all crowned by a ring which in mathematics we would describe as a bull.

Understanding geometry is fundamental to understanding the game and, therefore, to mastering the sport. Thus, for example, a definition of the centre of the field is the central point of the rectangle which, in turn, is the pitch. We can also understand the midfield line as the mediatrix of the lateral lines. However, on the basketball court, one line stands out above all others, as it has redefined modern basketball: the three-point line. But this is something for another day.

Let me just show you a picture of what the basketball court looks like.

I think, this image is the perfect visible example of what I am saying. But all this comes with its measures.

We can see that the court is divided in two by a straight line with a circle in the centre with a diameter of 3.6m. The backboards, located 1.20m from what would be the edge of the court, are rectangular in shape and measure 1.05m by 1.80m.

Even the hoop of the basket is a kind of circumference that would have a diameter of 45cm, in other words, a radius of 22.5cm, since the radius is half the diameter or what is the same, twice the radius.

As you can see in the image above, there are many other measurements to take into account when talking about the court. However, I don't want to bore you with this. 

I just want to share with you what would be a good way to teach geometry to students for whom it is a bit more complicated to understand, but who have basketball as a hobby. I think that by bringing mathematics closer to our students' everyday lives, as teachers, we can make them really understand the importance of aspects such as geometry in our lives.

Apart from the court itself, the path the basketball will take once it has been shot also has to do with geometry. This depends on the angle at which it is shot, the force applied and the height of the player's arms.

Understanding parabolas will help determine the best way to shoot the ball. Basketball players must understand that shooting the ball directly at the basket will not help them get it into the hoop. On the other hand, shooting the ball in a parabola will increase your chances of getting it through the hoop.

When shooting from behind the free throw line, a smaller (acute) angle is necessary for the ball to go through the hoop. However, when shooting from the field, a larger angle (straight or obtuse) is required. When a defender is trying to block the shot, a higher shot is required.

Understanding geometry is also important for good defence. This will help predict the player's movements, and will also determine how to tackle him. Looking at the player at an angle will curb his freedom as his movements become predictable.

Last but not least, geometry is also seen in the basketball itself. A basketball is a spherical ball whose dimensions and weight vary depending on the category of the players, ranging from 56 cm in circumference for the smallest categories to 74-76 cm in the men's senior categories. The standard ball in the NBA is, for example, 75 centimetres.

Lastly, I would like for you to take a look at this TedTalk about the mathematics behind basketball. It is a really interesting topic. Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66ko_cWSHBU&ab_channel=TED 

Here is also a link about how the Pythagorean Theorem in basketball:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYUrBlkWXoE&ab_channel=shaunteaches 

And, so, this is how geometry can be seen in more than just exercise books at school. I hope you liked it. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment on what you think about this.

See you next time. Goodbye! :)