How Angular Momentum Ruins Your Day | Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains...

How does a golf ball almost go in but not? On this explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host break down the physics behind how angular momentum can ruin your shot.
Picture this: You’re golfing and you putt the ball toward the hole but it carreens off the lip and out again. Your basketball goes in the hoop and out again. What is going on there? Learn about lip outs in golf, linear momentum, and angular momentum. How much of the ball has to already be in the hole in order for it to stay in? What will get Chuck to watch golf? That, and we try out our best golf announcing whispers…
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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
#StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson
0:00 - Introduction
1:34 - Lip Outs
2:59 - Angular Momentum
4:10 - How To Avoid Lip Outs
4:54 - Basketball
5:50 - Golf Spins
6:47 - Momentum
7:19 - NASCAR
8:57 - Exploding Golf
11:13 - Technicalities
13:38 - Reasons Why Chuck Hates Golf
15:29 - Closing Notes

[@StarTalk]

FIRST!

[@abdulwajidbagindaali4315]

Ye

[@patrickfulford3460]

You're always first in my heart StarTalk and Cast!

[@olencone4005]

Bot! 😁

[@bigwill123ism]

Not fair! Lol

[@StaticBlaster]

LOL. Good one. I get sick of all these other people who leave these kinds of comments. It gets on my nerves. The truth is the content creator is the First one.

[@NGC0Music]

I’m a simple man, I see a StarTalk video, I click

[@dakotaford1838]

What's StarTalk? If I see Neil's face... I click.

[@davemarm]

You're a simple man, you see a comment field, you leave a comment.

[@jeffdavis5723]

*#NGCO** **#Music** has to many **#Likes** 👍🏼 already. If 5 or less give them another.* 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 😆😂🤣😜

[@kidzkrazy3gtaonlinemikool983]

Then you end up laugh out loud or at least smiling the whole time. Simple humour

[@pier-lucgaranddion1527]

If I learn a thing, I like. If I laugh even once, I like. I always like.

[@SILVER-IO]

You should do an explainer about the chemistry of paint drying. That will get Chuck exited

[@tiffanyannhowe1712]

Oh! Oh! Yes please!!!! 😁😁😁

[@robertcampomizzi7988]

I would definitely watch paint try with Chuck and Neil

[@mlungisimokhethi6958]

I heard there's a 6 hour movie of paint drying. Fascinating watch.

[@dawoodahmad2785]

So true 🙌😂

[@StarTalk]

Now THAT is an idea!

[@ScienceCaddie]

Neil, Chuck & Gary- Love the episode. I am a Golf Science Educator, helping amateur and professional golfers understand the science of golf. If you would like to do another episode on Golf Science, I would be happy to be the guest. I would love the opportunity to try and change Chucks mind on Golf. In my bias opinion, golf is the best sport on the planet!

[@johnnorman8858]

Official golf rule: ball must “come to rest” in the bottom of the cup

[@josebarria3233]

Quantum mechanically speaking it will never come to a rest

[@keepgoing1973]

Come on, it's either in or out.

[@AndyMillerPhotoUK]

@@keepgoing1973 If it looks like it is then it is a particle not a wave with a higher probability is that the ball is adequately at rest in the bottom of the cup to be considered holled out, but since it will also be in superposition and there is a lower probability it is not. It all depends on the observer and their bias.

[@mesaber86]

Thx for explaining the obvious.

[@keepgoing1973]

@@AndyMillerPhotoUK thanks 🙏

[@atharvatikekar7307]

For a Sec thought there was no Chuck in video. ExplainerZone is incomplete without Chuck 😌

[@StaticBlaster]

And the best part is Chuck is always nice. He's never mean. lol.

[@dmrkscpr]

As a golf professional I can confirm for Neil, the ball has to come the rest i side of the hole.

[@AceSpadeThePikachu]

Not the explainer about Golf I was expecting...but I'm not complaining. (And I'm with you, Chuck. I'm with you.)

[@homosapien5684]

For the sports series, the science is the easier part for me. It's the sports terms i struggle with.

[@frogz]

right??? i never thought they could make sports interesting and yet now i watch every episode

[@jmanj3917]

9:15, It's a good thing we couldn't hear what Gary was thinking during his reaction...lol. Priceless

[@jamesbullo]

I'm with Chuck on this. Show me exploding golf balls and I will watch golf too.

[@ForestPantherGod]

🤣🤣 Chuck nearly killed me in this episode.

[@michaelccopelandsr7120]

Neil and Chuck for 2024

[@StaticBlaster]

That would be an awesome pairing for the next presidential election.

[@nbd5532]

Oh my God Chuck has just made my day))

[@olencone4005]

So, the reason I suck at pretty much every sport is science, instead of my complete lack of physical skill and coordination. Sounds good, I'll just roll with that! :P "Yeah, I could run that touchdown for them in ten seconds flat, but, you know... science." :D

[@markcaesar4443]

StarTalk, Neil, Assuming you hit the ball toward the RIGHT HAND lip of the cup such that, looking from above, the ball has a clockwise rotation, would forces from the "Left Hand Rule" have any influence on whether the ball escapes the cup or not? In fact, could you do an explainer video about the "Left Hand Rule"?

[@victorrutledge257]

When I Watched the "Mythbusters" discuss and examine the 'dimples' in a golf ball, I was gobsmacked. Now I am again. And I've seen the "bounce back through the hoop", even though it hit someone's head. But yeah, you get the points. And I've seen "spin" used on mini-golf courses, to 'curve' the shot and sometimes make the shot.

[@georgestewart8961]

The science of golf how exciting 😀

[@AlexandarHullRichter]

The ball curves around the center of the hole and continues a new direction, in a very picturesque demonstration of the way bodies in motion respond to curved space-time, aka, gravity Wells, when they come close, but not close enough, to be captured in an orbit.

[@karljenkinson8241]

I want to see a golf ball achieve stable orbit around the hole...

[@samchapple6363]

I think we missed track camber for racing ❤. .The track is less banked at low speeds, inner track and then, outer track is high speed .. opposite of the gopher ball

[@homosapien5684]

I love your videos Neil!

[@iNotoriousAJ]

I would like to believe that the commentators of exploding golf would have the professionalism to keep whispering throughout their description of the explosion :D

[@robertcampomizzi7988]

Please do a video on the physics/chemistry of paint drying!

[@LEDewey_MD]

Chuck would have a great time down in Boca Chica, Texas, where SpaceX builds and tests its new Starship rockets - most of the time is watching the grass grow, but occasionally there's an RUD - "rapid unscheduled disassembly"! :D

[@ryanc.r2431]

With the ball going in and then coming out, a la, basketball and golf, in hockey, if the puck is shot with enough force to hit the net and then come back out it's a good goal.

[@chebkhaled1985]

Would you guys do the same for professional table tennis too , no sport ever has more spin than table tennis

[@rjsmith6698]

I think another interesting topic might be the physics of slicing the ball, and how it often, from the players vantage point, appear to be travelling fairly straight, and then starts to slice, and the slice seems to increase with time until the ball is travelling almost sideways into the woods, or the next fairway.

[@irishseaswimmer]

I'm with Chuck on the exploding golf update to the rules.

[@ENUFF_]

“You swing around!!!” Haha love that part

[@ooichiewlean548]

Please do an explainer on pool or snooker too in future 😊

[@BigShark.9]

Half the reason I watch StarTalk is Neil deGrasse... The other half is Chuck

[@bballanalytics1552]

Neil is my hero. Changed our world for the better. Good man.

[@Volamek]

The difference between the basketball and golf ring out is the ratio of the circumference of the ball to the circumference of the hoop/hole.

[@CB-kn1ox]

DO AN EXPLAINER ON THE PHYSICS OF CURLING. THAT EOULD BE SUPER INTERESTING.

[@verisimilitude3499]

Talk about the Principal of Least Action. That would be much more interesting when talking about motion! Then people can be bored by basic motion of golf balls. LOL Love the show.

[@kidzkrazy3gtaonlinemikool983]

I like smiling. When i watch you and Chuck. Ok i like smiling more now thank you

[@kidzkrazy3gtaonlinemikool983]

Smile thru the whole thing seems contagious

[@chris_johns]

Golf is so much fun Chuck get out there and swing those wrenches!

[@jamescavanaugh3682]

Chuck’s on fire!

[@d.e.7467]

Chuck might like speed golf. I don't know the rules but running to the ball is a major aspect of the game.

[@linda1lee2]

Bowling has something similar. If you knock down a pin but it stands back up, it doesn't count as a downed pin. Conversely, if your ball enters the gutter but pops out and knocks down pin(s), those don't count as downed pins.

[@cedriclapointe5869]

Got a golf add during this vid😆

[@avinashveanukavi9846]

Do an explainer video on what if all photons freezes and stop moving

[@BigSho0ter]

being a 22 year old who grew up with the dream of being a fireball throwing lefty that can DH; AND hit golf balls unbelievably far. It's more difficult to learn how to hit a golf ball where you want, than it is to hit a 75 mph curveball or a 90 mph fastball. it's less than a millimeter of play. If you hit a drive with 2000 rpm backspin (ideal rpm) it will travel how its supposed to. 1500 rpm will take about 6% off your total distance. Then you have the short game. Hitting a ball over a tree, at the pin which is at the front of the green. You need to hit the bottom of the ball, sweeping the bottom of the club head under the ball. Achieving around 7,000-10,000 rpm backspin.

[@sadananda-pokhrel-100]

gulf ball is a hat blossom which showing socotra which hit from flip head

[@sonofwilliamtheviking7529]

Thanks for yelling so much Chuck ... :Note to self don't wear ear phones when chuck is on! LOL

[@ManaBDew]

😂👍 you wouldn’t believe your eyes 👀 should I somehow someday or, someway share something that I discovered with a high bounce ball. In time gentlemen & ty for sharing friends

[@midnightchurningspriteshaq8533]

i had a plate fall accidentally before this clip came out, the universe is silly enough to let startalk be my echo chamber for this episode lol

[@sapelesteve]

Interesting video Neil. However, I definitely agree with Chuck on this one, golf is the most boring sport to watch followed by a close second baseball!

[@dalestoner2928]

Fishing tournaments

[@j.f.almeida9081]

Cricket

[@SergioAbarca9]

I personally find baseball more boring than golf, same nature though.

[@bicbangmusicrecordsllc]

my self and my family watch this one like 4 times chuck lol this is better the actual tv

[@MoorganHart]

13:04 He's joking, but that actually sounds like a good game. It's already possible to score points for your opponent if you throw it in the wrong hoop, now imagine being able to not just increase your score but decrease your opponents score by bouncing the ball through their hoop in reverse. It's actually going to be harder because you'd have to be directly under their hoop or try to bounce it in, and if you do the latter it's going to be much easier for the opponent to take the ball. Plus it's all for nothing if it bounces back in: -2 + 2 = 0 change. It adds an entire new layer of strategy to the game. You could even increase the player count to 6 on 6 so teams can have a counter-defense player whose job is to subtract the opponents points.

[@davidgaunt4914]

So surely this is the same mechanics as slingshotting around a planet? Ie if you steer directly at the planet, you crash (centre of the cup). If you steer to the side, you use the gravity to ‘fall towards the planet’ (cup) but your velocity is high enough that instead of crashing, you slingshot around. Also, very tricky to impart anything other than forward spin on a putt! (But if anyone can find a way to miss, it’s me)

[@KaiCyreus]

i can't imagine the thoughts of someone who looks at the titles of the chapters of this video without the context of having seen em

[@MuhammadYahya-ed5cb]

One of the best scientists of our generation

[@JT96708]

Chuck needs to call the LIV tour.

[@frogz]

tyson wears different hats depending on his specialty, if i see that black cap i know it is sports :'( joking, i dont normally enjoy sports but neil and chuck make sports interesting and entertaining! i would SO watch/play exploding golf

[@DFloyd84]

My uncle's a golf aficionado, so he'd probably like this video.

[@tanbui7869]

An explainer on the conversion of solar energy

[@oogabooga3323]

🔥

[@Gina-ud2zd]

So it would create a track like inverted tires tread

[@lorenzominotti2942]

It does happen also in basketball 🏀

[@josebarria3233]

Chuck's new fav sport: golfing with handgranades

[@robertmcdonnold3038]

Exploding golf balls. I would watch golf. But only when the ball explodes.

[@philandeswilliams1975]

💡I Would have to actually play some golf to appreciate the sport.🎯

[@jamesreynolds4152]

I was hoping for discussion on artificial gravity and I got a discussion on golf.

[@longlostkryptonian5797]

Just when you thought this topic couldn’t be “whiter” he brings up NASCAR! Love these explainers!

[@tonyjohnson9889]

You got a like for chuck's Augusta joke

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

My man

[@aliederrick8264]

Wat would are Sence of time look like if if the earth slowed down would it change are visible thought of perception

[@antoniojones5340]

But in Billiards, if the ball goes in the pocket and then comes back out for any reason (bounces off another ball that was already in the pocket, or bounces off the bottom or side of the pocket itself), the shot does not count. So, no consistency across the Sports spectrum... go figure.

[@ronaldmallette]

Come pile lations? "Campuhlations" there Doc!

[@LtNduati]

Tell that to James Harden, the NBA rule is the ball must exit the cylinder in order to be a made basket, but James Harden dunked on someone, the ball exited the cylinder and bounced back up into the rim after hitting the head of the defender and he did get the made basket, even after replay.

[@xpndblhero5170]

I got into golfing because I played Tiger Woods on Playstation because I was injured for almost a year, I got so good at the game I could actually play in real life.... Now I only watch a game if Viktor Hovland is playing, just because of his favorite song. Plus he's a fellow stoner.... 😂

[@Gina-ud2zd]

The air cushions it

[@joeframo3347]

Hey Neil is great seeing you buddy thank you for sharing your video I subscribed to your channel you know we're not alone all those sightings out in the ocean with the military they're not from here I'll tell you right now 👍🏆👍

[@robertcampomizzi7988]

Pool/billiards would have been a good example aswell

[@SteveC38]

I get the feeling that Chuck doesn't like golf 😂

[@astley2words]

What is a car was the conversations of the day.... Can u explain because it is believed if it's missing a part then it's no longer a car????

[@HAL_NINER_TRIPLE_ZERO]

Two factors that Neil does not discuss. The dimples on a golf ball create lift and drag or linear rotational acceleration or deceleration depending on the spin of the golf ball and the fact that the horizon of the hole is almost never perpendicular to the centerline of Earth's gravitational pull.

[@raynic1173]

There is only acceleration...

[@carsmax]

13:35 guys they just drill deeper holes!! and then you might see golf player laying on they´r stomach to fish out the ball they senk !🤣🤣

[@samadams164]

While I'm 100% wit ya, on exploding golf Chuck; you're absolutely wrong about the bounce out (regardless of what the rule is), and once I explain it, you can't do nothin' but agree. Beeeecause (In my Neil voice)...had you made a better shot, prior to the bounce out, you wouldn't have had to take a swing causing the bounce out.

[@roobscoob47]

NdGT, C-Nice and Gary~

[@mywifecallsmerick9080]

The only thing more boring than golf is senior golf. We need explosions, especially in seniors golf!

[@Hei1Bao4]

Next: How angular momentum can save your day around a black hole.

[@dfresh834]

Most cups are now made of plastic. And yes, if it bounces out of the cup, you still must finish the hole. The ball must come to rest in the hole.

[@godseed7984]

The answer to Chuck's question is no. What matters is the ball's FINAL resting position. If the ball's final resting is not in the cup, then it is not sunk.

[@raynic1173]

Chuck, that's called a angular momentum fuse.

[@ptphil64]

The explanation is wrong. The rim does not curve like a racetrack. THE BALL curves like a racetrack as long as the ball is less than 50% below the rim.

[@JoseGonzalez-yw5iz]

Chuck is funny

[@Djumlija13]

basically centrifugal force screws you up

[@CyScorpion]

Have you seen the Entertaining Factor Of HOT SHOTS GOLF Guys..lol

[@abdulwajidbagindaali4315]

Nice

[@StaticBlaster]

Chuck!

[@JCASC]

Hire Chuck for more things pls.

[@dunderwood4444]

9/11 survivor's are NOT happy with the game of golf as of late. If you watched the news your aware. Outstanding episode Gentleman #GaryOrocks #LordNiceRocks #Dr.TysonIsTheMan Brooklyn NY loves StarTalk

[@StarTalk]

Thank you, D Underwood!

[@joseimpact]

i hate when this would happen when playing beer pong lol

[@knewegypt5420]

i wish chuck was my uncle .... lol

[@brandontorrescano9458]

Hey Chuck, if NASA bounced astronauts off the moon, they wouldn’t have achieved their objective in landing men on the moon. The ball has to stay in the hole my friend.

[@helmuttrzoska4572]

A dart hits bull's eye and bounces off - no 50 Points, unfortunately. Same for golf?

[@themiddleagedgamer3503]

Are all the planets moving through the Solar system at the same speed? I know some take longer than others to orbit the sun, but are they moving at the same speed?

[@raynic1173]

No.

[@Gina-ud2zd]

Suction Cup