Taylor+Hernandez

Carter's Between the Legs Windmill Slamma-Jamma!! This is a picture from the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest in 2000. It is of Vince Carter's between the legs windmill jam. There are four noticeable physics concepts that can be seen in this sequence. The first and most important, is the __Power__ that is necessary to launch Vince into the air. In order for Vince to elevate to the height necessary for him to dunk the ball, he had to generate enough power with his legs to lift his 6ft 6 inch 210 pound body at least 4 feet into the air so he can put the ball through the 10 ft high rim. While Vince was in the air he moved his arm in a __Circular Motion__ or a "windmill" type motion to add a little bit of style and flair to his dunk. The second most important factor behind this dunk was the __Momentum__ Vince needed to carry him to the rim. When Vince takes off into the air if he doesn't have the necessary forward momentum to reach the basket, he'll come up short and will miss the dunk. Vince took off from about 7 feet away from the basket, in order to obtain the momentum necessary to reach the hoop he had to get a running start. Once he leapt into the air the momentum that he built up during his run up is the only way he was able to accomplish his dunk. The last noticeable physics concept in this picture is the only reason that Vince didn't seriously injure himself by hitting the backboard, and that would be gravity. __Gravity__ is what brings Vince back down to earth after he finishes his dunk. Without it Vince would continue to go up and up until he hit the ceiling.