Can studying the laws of physics help you be a better basketball player? Can poring over statistics help answer such classic late-night questions as 'Is the American League better than the National League?' or "What would happen if Babe Ruth played against Barry Bonds?" In this hour of Science Friday, Ira and guests talk sports -- from the weekend's impending Final Four showdowns in the NCAA basketball tournament, to next week's opening day of the baseball season. We'll talk with the author of a new book on the physics of basketball about the best angle for your game-winning jump shot, and whether shattering the backboard is really the sign of a powerful player. Then, we'll turn to the baseball diamond, and find out how crunching the numbers can bring a new dimension to America's pastime.
Physics of Basketball Video

Plus, a quick trip out to Saturn, where a hexagon-shaped feature in the planet's atmosphere has some scientists scratching their heads. The feature, circling the northern pole of the planet, was first spotted by the Voyager probes years ago. Now, the Cassini mission to Saturn has snapped pictures of it again, leading researchers to ponder again about what physical processes could be causing the strange atmospheric shape. We'll talk with one of the members of the Cassini team about the structure.

Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
John Fontanella
Author, "The Physics of Basketball" (johns Hopkins University Press, 2006)
Professor, Physics
United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, Maryland

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Kevin Baines
Member of the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team
Cassini-Huygens Mission
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, California

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Jonah Keri
Editor, "Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game Is Wrong" (Basic Books, 2007)
Columnist, ESPN.com
Durham, New Hampshire

Books/Articles Discussed:

"The Physics of Basketball" by John Fontanella. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.

"Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game Is Wrong" edited by Jonah Keri. Basic Books, 2007.

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

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This segment produced by Charles Bergquist