BrainStuff Classics: Do Footballs Fly Farther in Denver?

BrainStuff

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Science, Technology, Natural Sciences

3.9 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2024

⏱️ 7 minutes

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Summary

Denver's Mile High Stadium sits a full mile above sea level -- is that distance really enough to make a difference in the air compared with other stadiums, and thus in how footballs fly there? Learn about football physics in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/physics-and-football-denvers-altitude-affect-field-goals.htm

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0:00.0	Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Job. And I go by the name, Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle.
0:20.9	We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other.
0:23.5	So join us each Saturday for Civic Cypher on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or
0:28.2	wherever you get your podcast.
0:31.7	Welcome to Brain Stuff, a production of IHeartRadio.
0:36.6	Hey, Brain Stuff. Lauren Vogelbaum here with a classic episode for all you fall football fanatics
0:42.1	with a crossover into the physics of field goal flight.
0:45.4	In this one, we're talking about how the high altitude of certain NFL stadiums can
0:50.7	actually make a difference and how far a ball will go.
0:56.0	Hey, Brainstuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. Hey, Brainstuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. Imagine a fine afternoon in Denver, the Mile High
1:01.2	City. Behind quarterback Peyton Manning's explosive offensive, the Denver Broncos have amassed a 10-2
1:06.5	record. Today, they're hosting the Tennessee Titans, a squad that's lost three of its past four
1:11.3	games. The Titans have put up a good fight over the first half hour of gameplay. Three seconds before
1:16.8	halftime, the score is Tennessee 21, Denver 17. Enter Broncos kicker Matt Prater. Trotting out to the
1:24.3	Denver 46-yard line, he readies himself for the play of his life.
1:28.3	A mighty kick sends the ball soaring end-over-end across the field as a nervous crowd holds its breath.
1:33.7	And then, the place erupts. With ease, the ball sails through the yellow crossbar in Tennessee's end zone.
1:39.3	It's the longest completed field goal in NFL history, a perfectly made 64-yard drill. For our metric friends,
1:45.5	that's about 58 meters. Perhaps emboldened by Prater's heroics, the Broncos go on to crush
1:50.9	the Titans of the second half, thus clinching a playoff berth. The game I just described took place
1:56.6	on December 8, 2013. Today, Prater's 64-yarder still holds the all-time distance record.
2:02.7	Although his accomplishment has never been bested, jaw-dropping football kicks are nothing new
	...

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