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Concept

Magnus effect

A baseball is at the center of concentric circular ripples, illustrating the Magnus effect where spinning objects create a whirlpool of fluid around themselves, resulting in a force perpendicular to their motion.

The observable phenomenon in which a spinning object moving through a fluid creates a whirlpool of fluid around itself, resulting in a force perpendicular to the line of motion. This effect explains why curveballs curve, topspin tennis shots drop abruptly, and artillery shells drift in crosswinds.

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