Question

In the 1970 National Basketball Association championship, Jerry West made a 60 ft shot from beyond half court to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to an improbable tie at the buzzer with the New York Knicks. Suppose West threw the ball at an angle of 45.0∘ above the horizontal. The basket is 10 ft from the court floor. Neglecting air resistance, estimate the initial speed of the ball. (The Knicks won the game in overtime.) Please clearly mark the solution. Please take a clear picture (if taking a photo). Please write legibly (if handwriting)

Answer 1

Lets first consider only X-direction :

Given, d=60 ft = 60 * 0.3048m = 18.288m, = 45^o

Lets the initial speed be u m/s.

Let total time of travel be t seconds.

speed along x direction = u = u/

acceleration along x-direction = 0

So, d = u*t

ut/ = 18.288    ---- (equation 1)

Now, in Y-direction :

Given, h=10 ft = 10 * 0.3048m = 3.048m

g=9.8 m/s²

Angle = 45^o

speed in Y-direction = u sin = u/

Using equation of motion, S=ut + 1/2 at²

3.048 = ut/ - 1/2*9.8*t²

Solving this equation using equation 1, we get t= 1.76 s

Putting this value of t in equation 1, we get u = 14.69 m/s = 48.2 ft/s (Answer)