That, or why you spin a ball when you throw it.
A spinning object doesn't fly straighter than a non-spinning object? Then what is the point of making it spin - what is rifling for, for instance?
I thought if the thing wasn't spinning, it was free to rotate in all kinds of weird ways (e.g., a bullet flying end-over-end) which could cause the wind resistance to make it deviate from a straight path. I just didn't understand how the spin kept it straight.
Isn't the whole idea of a knuckleball to remove the spin from the ball so it will move in unpredictable ways?
So ya, my question is why does imparting a spin to an object keep it from tumbling around in the air?
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