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The Breakdown

The Physics of Beer Pong

Tossing a ping-pong ball into a beer cup? It takes more physics than you might think

These guys are pretty amazing. And the nonchalance with which they accomplish each trick shot adds a certain understated humor to this entertaining video. But though the guys seem to be developing a seemingly useless (if highly impressive) skill in their spare time, there's quite a bit of complex science at play. In addition to being a highlight at any party, these are excellent demonstrations of two- and three-dimensional projectile motion, and with just a little bit of quantitative analysis the entire video would make a formidable project for an introductory level college physics class.

For example let’s look at the segment where the guy tosses the ball in the cup off of a moving skateboard.

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In Making NCAA Picks, a Statistical Model Proves Most Accurate

Georgia Tech statisticians use Markov chains for a combined 83 percent accuracy over the past nine tournaments. Who is the computer favorite this year?

In poker, it is well known that playing the odds will net you more wins than losses, but it won’t make you a top player. For that, you need an unquantifiable ability to read the other players at the table and decipher their emotional state when they make bets. Just the opposite is proving to be true when it comes to betting on winners in the NCAA tournament. Engineering professors at the Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated that statistics accurately inform success in the tournament. Most people’s picks are based largely on emotional inference, they say, which leads to inaccurate choices.

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