Physics department chair at BC: weather alone could easily deflate ball from 12.5 to 10.5 psi

[BradyFTW!]

http://nesn.com/2015/01/boston-college-professor-weather-had-to-play-role-in-deflategate/

If the balls were filled to 12.5 psi in an 80 degree room, then at 40 degrees they would eventually deflate to 10.5 psi. At least according to Michael Naughton, chair of the physics department at BC. Who is a Bills fan, btw, so no homerism here.

 

[festy1986]

No. Nope. No f way.








Sarcasm

 

[SVN]

http://nesn.com/2015/01/boston-college-professor-weather-had-to-play-role-in-deflategate/

If the balls were filled to 12.5 psi in an 80 degree room, then at 40 degrees they would eventually deflate to 10.5 psi. At least according to Michael Naughton, chair of the physics department at BC.

"BUT BUT BUT the colts balls were fine...the colts balls were fine...." thats all you hear.

 

[RobertWeathers]

http://nesn.com/2015/01/boston-college-professor-weather-had-to-play-role-in-deflategate/

If the balls were filled to 12.5 psi in an 80 degree room, then at 40 degrees they would eventually deflate to 10.5 psi. At least according to Michael Naughton, chair of the physics department at BC.

I've sifted through so many physics equations these past few days I feel like I'm back in college.

 

[BelichickFan]

I'm still thinking they inflated the balls to a legal level with extra warm air (nothing against that in the rules) and let nature take it's course.

I don't believe the Patriots could have done it while the balls were in the officials' locker room before the game. I don't believe the ball boys could do it on the sideline with 80,000 or so people in the stands and tons of video cameras.

This scenario really works. They would have inflated it per the rules. It would have passed the officials' test. It would have deflated some as it cooled.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I've sifted through so many physics equations these past few days I feel like I'm back in college.

Me too, this is why I'm now outsourcing my thinking to this guy.

 

[Observer]

Physics? The whole world knows the patriots are cheats. Even Einstein couldn't convince these flat earthers.

 

[supafly]

I've sifted through so many physics equations these past few days I feel like I'm back in college.

Especially since the original professor from BC was the one who tried to debunk this theory.

WTF?

 

[mosi]

"BUT BUT BUT the colts balls were fine...the colts balls were fine...." thats all you hear.

Thats the point! Basic science says that both team balls should have dropped below the minimal amount but the Colts balls did not! Their balls were probably over-inflatted.

I don't know why this is so complicated. I think we have become a stupid nation. Not only this, but you can test the hypothesis very easily. All it takes is some balls by the NFL. Pun intended!

 

[BelichickFan]

As for the Colts’ footballs being within the legal PSI range, Naughton has an easy explanation for that, too: If those balls were more inflated to begin with (maybe even above the legal maximum), they could have lost air pressure and still stayed above the minimum.

My explanation fits too, that the Colts inflated theirs with room temperature air but the Patriots inflated theirs with warmer air that would deflate more.

The only issue with my theory is it could result in unpredictable results if the temperature is not what they expect which could be risky and mess Brady up.

 

[pork3]

Here is the problem.
No news organization will bother spouting the physics behind this as their target audience has walnuts for brains.
The average level of education of the majority of football fandom, Patriots fans excluded, is shockingly bad.

-Jamman

 

[RobertWeathers]

Me too, this is why I'm now outsourcing my thinking to this guy.

Smart move.

 

[TBR]

This is what I believe. Especially since the deflated balls were measured to be exactly 10.5 PSI. Those footballs were exposed to the exact same weather conditions, therefore the PSI afterwards measured exact.

If a human did the inflating, it's likely the PSI would be a little more inconsistent.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I'm still thinking they inflated the balls to a legal level with extra warm air (nothing against that in the rules) and let nature take it's course.

I don't believe the Patriots could have done it while the balls were in the officials' locker room before the game. I don't believe the ball boys could do it on the sideline with 80,000 or so people in the stands and tons of video cameras.

This scenario really works. They would have inflated it per the rules. It would have passed the officials' test. It would have deflated some as it cooled.

I'm thinking the refs gave the balls the squeeze test pregame ...

 

[Haley]

Maybe the Colts overinflated their footballs knowing they could *alert* the refs in the second quarter.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I don't know why this is so complicated. I think we have become a stupid nation. Not only this, but you can test the hypothesis very easily. All it takes is some balls by the NFL. Pun intended!

We have become a spoon-fed society that abdicates its ability to question the questionable.

 

[BelichickFan]

I'm thinking the refs gave the balls the squeeze test pregame ...

That's the other possibility. Pull the Rodgers "see if the refs catch us, no harm no foul if they do" routine, inflate to, say 12.0, refs OK, weather brings down a little, say 11.5 and there you go.

 

[AzPatsFan]

I'm thinking the refs gave the balls the squeeze test pregame ...

...and the NFL can't figure out how NOT to admit that.

 

[SVN]

I hope there is a protocol whch is required by the refs to list down all the PSI's of the balls they measure before game. Otherwise pats will be screwed if the refs say they used a gauge without supplying the readings...especially since Kraft doesnt seem to be in a combative mood to ask such a question. OTOH, the ref couldve just tested 1 and written down the same for all of them,

 

[Observer]

Brady should have said exactly what Rodgers said.