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Show HN: A basketball hoop to maximize shots that go in [video]

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Re: Show HN: A basketball hoop to maximize shots that go in [video]

#31

Post by jhncls »

nabla9 wrote: post #10

"Who is Monte Carlo?" Monte Carlo is for Europe what Las Vegas is for the US. The first name that comes to mind when you think gambling. Monte Carlo method is repeated random sampling to obtain numerical results. Monte Carlo algorithms are heuristic algorithms that solve problems with random process that can give wrong answers. Las Vegas algorithms are algorithms that solve problems with randomness but get always cor…

Well, his question was "Who is Monte Carlo?", a witty reference to the fact that Monte Carlo is named after a real prince [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_III,_Prince_of_Monaco

Re: Show HN: A basketball hoop to maximize shots that go in [video]

#33

Post by [deleted] »

nabla9 wrote: post #10

"Who is Monte Carlo?" Monte Carlo is for Europe what Las Vegas is for the US. The first name that comes to mind when you think gambling. Monte Carlo method is repeated random sampling to obtain numerical results. Monte Carlo algorithms are heuristic algorithms that solve problems with random process that can give wrong answers. Las Vegas algorithms are algorithms that solve problems with randomness but get always cor…

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: A basketball hoop to maximize shots that go in [video]

#34

Post by nabla9 »

irrational wrote: post #30
nabla9 wrote: post #10

"Who is Monte Carlo?" Monte Carlo is for Europe what Las Vegas is for the US. The first name that comes to mind when you think gambling. Monte Carlo method is repeated random sampling to obtain numerical results. Monte Carlo algorithms are heuristic algorithms that solve problems with random process that can give wrong answers. Las Vegas algorithms are algorithms that solve problems with randomness but get always cor…

Is Monte Carlo (I need to look up where that actually is) as gaudy (I might have said trashy) as the Las Vegas strip?

No. Monte Carlo is located in Monaco. It's very classy place.

It's the type of place where James Bond likes to play in the movies and books.

Re: Show HN: A basketball hoop to maximize shots that go in [video]

#35

Post by contravariant »

yissp wrote: post #16

Any physics experts know what the actual optimal shape is? I imagine it would be a pretty gnarly problem to work out.

If you fix the position of the 'thrower' and just throw them at ridiculous speeds so gravity doesn't matter you'd end up with a hyperbolic backboard.

So annoyingly for an 'optimal' solution you'd need to specify where people can throw from and how fast. Frankly you might as well just use a hyperbola with one foci on the hoop and the other on the middle of the court, or maybe a point slightly higher than the court itself as the balls will be coming in at a lower angle (or maybe even a downwards angle?).

Re: Show HN: A basketball hoop to maximize shots that go in [video]

#36

Post by dmurray »

irrational wrote: post #30
nabla9 wrote: post #10

"Who is Monte Carlo?" Monte Carlo is for Europe what Las Vegas is for the US. The first name that comes to mind when you think gambling. Monte Carlo method is repeated random sampling to obtain numerical results. Monte Carlo algorithms are heuristic algorithms that solve problems with random process that can give wrong answers. Las Vegas algorithms are algorithms that solve problems with randomness but get always cor…

Is Monte Carlo (I need to look up where that actually is) as gaudy (I might have said trashy) as the Las Vegas strip?

No, it's a good bit more upmarket. Monaco is known as a tax haven for the wealthy, and the casino has a dress code.

Re: Show HN: A basketball hoop to maximize shots that go in [video]

#37

Post by hencq »

soheil wrote: post #32

Is this not something that just an optics equation in Physics would give you? Specially if not taking the radius of the ball into effect.

Maybe, but as he explains a normal parabola (like a satellite dish) wouldn't work, since the shots themselves are arced because of pesky gravity. I thought using a Monte Carlo analysis and finding a fixed point was actually a very clever way to solve it.

Re: Show HN: A basketball hoop to maximize shots that go in [video]

#38

Post by Misdicorl »

soheil wrote: post #32

Is this not something that just an optics equation in Physics would give you? Specially if not taking the radius of the ball into effect.

Depends on the importance of a couple effects that light is immune to (at least for an optics equation)

1) gravity post impact with backboard

2) impact angle for a given (start, backboard) tuple depend on velocity and launch angle for a basketball, but are always the same for light. Also the impact angle for the basketball and light are very different

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