# spinning balls
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinning-balls/90894
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 1, 2001, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinning-balls/90894 "2001-11-01T12:46:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinning-balls/90894/1 "2001-11-01T12:46:36Z")
is it possible for a ball to be kicked and get so much sidespin on it that it starts off going straight ahead and ends up turning more than 90 degrees to the side?
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinning-balls/90894/2 "2001-11-01T12:51:11Z")
What kind of ball?
Through the air or on the ground?
Otherwise, all we have is the coefficient of fiction.
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### Author:  [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinning-balls/90894/3 "2001-11-01T12:53:22Z")
air. it is a football (soccer ball to you yanks).
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### Author:  [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinning-balls/90894/4 "2001-11-01T13:14:31Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Niobium Knight \*
> \*\*is it possible for a ball to be kicked and get so much sidespin on it that it starts off going straight ahead and ends up turning more than 90 degrees to the side? \*\*
Sure, I don’t see why not. But it will need quite a lot of spin. It would probably be a lot easier with an indoor-football, as the rougher (furry) surface will offer more “grip” on the air.
There is nothing magic with the ball starting to curve back. At any point along the trajectory the (rotating) ball will be subject to a fource directed in the direction of the cross product of the axis of rotation and the velocity. If the ball was not subject to gravity it would go around in circles. (Untill it lost rotational and longitudinal kinetic energy and slowed down.)
If you want any cites, do a google search for “Magnus effect”.
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### Author:  [@illuminati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/illuminati)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinning-balls/90894/5 "2001-11-01T13:37:24Z")
In a five-a-side game a friend of mine attemped to score from the kick off. He got right underneath it but sliced it big time. Initially it was going straight for goal but it soon took a drastic swing to the left and continued to do so until it hit the ground. when it bounced the spin took it even more and with one bounce it hit the corner flag. Exactly 90 degrees from the intended target, but not intentional.
Its the most impressive curler ive ever seen, but it could not be reproduced with many attempts.
Why would you want to curl the bal 90 degrees anyway? to begin with you would have to be facing in the wrong direction in order to hit the goal.
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### Author:  [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinning-balls/90894/6 "2001-11-01T14:44:06Z")
It’s done in ping pong. You can make the ball turn 180 is you’re good enough. Not sure if this counts, but I’ve hit a tennis ball with enough backspin to bring it back over the net.
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### Author:  [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinning-balls/90894/7 "2001-11-01T14:45:42Z")
Must read these OPs more carefully. Answer retracted.