Why does the basketball surface always have tiny dots?

It was this detail that contributed to the turning point for basketball, making it widely developed today.

Have you noticed, while football, table tennis is quite smooth, basketball has a much more rough surface? That is due to the numerous small dots on the ball created. I wonder what effect they have?

First of all, let's explore the following phenomenon: Have you ever tried to hold a handful of ice cubes full of hands, then see them drifting off their palms?

This phenomenon is due to lack of friction . When two forces collide, friction is a breaking force, slowing or altering that movement. The more points of contact with the surface of the object, the more friction.

When the friction is weak, everything becomes slippery. In this example, these slippery blocks, with smooth surfaces, combined with wet hands, have little contact points to create friction, which in turn leads to the phenomenon.

Basketball ball with countless small dots on the surface.

Such low friction levels are beneficial in some sports like bowling or figure skating. But what about basketball? Does this situation cause problems in this sport?

This is exactly what the athletes struggled in the 1894s. At that time, the teams used soccer balls. The glossy surface of the ball combines with the polished polished hardwood floor, making it slide up and down on the player's hand and on the training floor.

And instead of trying to put the ball in the basket, keeping the ball in hand is also a problem for the athletes.

Fortunately, James Naismith - who invented the game in 1891 did not let this inconvenience hinder the development of basketball. Naismith and a friend designed a new ball to help improve the player's ability to hold, not only bigger but also increase friction.

The spikes were born from there. When combined with rough and well-treated leather, it will create more contact points with the football field and increase friction on the ball.

When the improved basketball was used, the players applauded enthusiastically, because from now on, they could cheat without worrying that the ball would fly out of hand without knowing it.

The contact of the ball with a rough surface like concrete, will make the ball more rough.

Although this improvement has made a great step forward for modern basketball, they cannot completely prevent the possibility of the ball slipping out of hand. Because when we play basketball, we sweat, which makes things slippery. This can make a ball of good quality even slip out of your hand.

This is perfectly normal, because even Michael Jordan has this problem.

Although nothing can guarantee 100% but a little impact will help you better prepare for the match.

If you have a new ball, start with it before the game takes place with a few small exercises. The contact of the ball with a rough surface like concrete, will make the ball more rough. The rougher the surface of the ball, the better the friction force. The better the friction force, the easier it is to handle the ball.