A really cool thing happens when you drop a basketball from a ledge with just a little bit of backspin

This video is more proof that science is awesome.

Veritasium explains the concept of the magnus effect using a basketball.

At first they drop the ball down the ledge and watch it fall essentially in the same place it was dropped.

Now, apply a bit of backspin, and something different entirely happens.

The basketball floats along in the air for quite a bit before falling into the river. It even bounces off the river a few times before finally landing.

“The basketball was subject to the magnus effect,” the video explains, “which effects all rotating balls or cylinders as they fly through the air.”