Applied Math:
You ARE Michael Jordan!
Name
Date
Class
Michael Jordan was arguably the best basketball player ever. One of the things that helped make him terrific
was how well he could “palm” a basketball – hold it easily in one hand. Wouldn’t it be great to know how that
felt?
Well, maybe you can know how that felt!
I want you to see if you can figure out two things:
(1)
If you could have a smaller basketball, what circumference would it need to be so that
you could palm it like Michael Jordan?
(2)
If you could have a smaller basket rim height, how low would have to be so you could
shoot at a height that was proportional to Michael Jordan’s height?
You’ll need some guidelines and key information to work from:
 All measurements need to be in centimeters.
 There are 2.54 centimeters in every inch.
 A full-size basketball has a diameter of 9.5 inches.
 Michael Jordan is 6 feet 7 inches tall.
 The rim height of a standard basketball hoop is 10 feet.
In addition to the information above, you will also be supplied with a copy of Michael Jordan’s hand!
Work will be done neatly on separate paper, ultimately in “final draft” form, so keep track of what you
do so that you’ll be able to show others and they will easily understand.
Below please provide your answers to the questions you are to answer.
Proportional basketball circumference to see what it’s like to be MJ is ____________ centimeters
Proportional height of basketball hoop if you were MJ is ____________ centimeters