Ten-bob swerver
Question: I am well aware (having played many ball sports) of the Magnus
effect which causes a ball that is spinning clockwise (when viewed from above)
to swerve towards the right. Similarly, a ball struck with backspin will travel
with a long, floating flight. These effects can be seen with leather footballs,
tennis balls and table tennis balls. However, when applying spin to one of those
plastic footballs sold at petrol stations and on beaches, the opposite is
observed: clockwise spin produces right to left swerve, and back-spin produces a
viciously dipping shot. These balls are really only…
