TED-Ed: The math behind Michael Jordan's legendary hang time - Andy Peterson and Zack Patterson

The video explores the concept of hang time, the duration an object stays airborne, and its limitations due to gravity. It explains how gravity affects hang time and derives a quadratic equation to model it. The video uses Michael Jordan's famous dunk to illustrate the equation and compares hang time on Earth with that on Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon, highlighting the impact of different gravitational forces.

What is the primary factor that limits the hang time of a human jump?

• Air resistance

• Gravity

• Body weight

• Initial velocity

Which mathematical shape represents the relationship between height and time in the air?

• Circle

• Ellipse

• Parabola

• Hyperbola

What is the initial vertical velocity used in modeling Michael Jordan's dunk?

• 3.5 meters per second

• 4.51 meters per second

• 6.0 meters per second

• 5.2 meters per second

On which celestial body would Michael Jordan experience the longest hang time?

• The Moon

• Earth

• Venus

• Jupiter

How does the gravitational pull on Venus compare to that on Earth?

• It is slightly stronger

• It is slightly weaker

• It is much stronger

• It is much weaker