What's Michael Jordan's Hang Time on Earth & Beyond?

What’s Michael Jordan’s hang time? Jordan could hang in the air for 0.98 seconds on Earth. But on Moon and Pluto, MJ would fly!

If you ever caught a basketball game in the 80s or 90s, chances are you’re a massive Jordan fan. And you undoubtedly recognize the legendary “Air Jordan” moniker.

MJ earned his Air Jordan title because it appeared that the laws of physics simply didn’t apply to him. When he leaped, it genuinely seemed as though he was magically suspending himself in midair.

So let’s dive into the astonishing reality of how much Jordan truly defied gravity. We’ll calculate and dissect his hang time.

A closer look at human hang time and the equation behind it

“I don’t know about flying, but sometimes it feels like I have these little wings on my feet.”

These iconic words, uttered by Air Jordan himself, captured the essence of his incredible feats. And the mind-boggling part is, for a fleeting moment, he actually did fly. Millions of awestruck witnesses, their jaws hitting the floor night after night, can attest to that.

However, thanks to high school physics and Sir Isaac Newton, we know that what goes up must inevitably come down. The moment you jump, gravity is already tugging you back toward Earth.

Basic physics offers us the following equation: $d = -\dfrac{1}{2} \times g \times t^{2}$

This equation allows us to determine the time it takes for an object to fall a specific distance ‘d’ above the ground. Here, ‘g’ represents Earth’s gravitational acceleration at -32 feet/sec $^{2}$ , and ‘t’ stands for the time it takes the object to fall the distance ‘d.’

Important Note: An object’s speed changes by 32 feet/sec every second it’s in the air. Say an object’s starting speed is 100 feet/sec. After 1 second, the speed would be 132 feet/sec. In other words, due to Earth’s gravity, the object speeds up from 100 feet/sec to 132 feet/sec in 1 second.

Let’s unravel the mystery of hang time! First, we need to tweak the equation a bit and solve for t:

$t = \sqrt{-\dfrac{2d}{g}}$

Keep in mind that the time an object spends soaring upwards is equal to the time it takes to descend. This is the essence of hang time.

So, a person’s hang time represents the total time they’re suspended in the air. To account for this, we’ll multiply the height ‘d’ in our equation by 2:

$t = 2 \times \sqrt{-\dfrac{2d}{g}} = \sqrt{-\dfrac{8 \times d}{g}}$

Now, let’s switch from feet to inches since vertical jumps are measured in inches:

$t = \sqrt{\dfrac{8 \times d}{32 \times 12}} = \sqrt{\dfrac{d}{48}}$

Michael Jordan’s hang time calculation on Earth

At the University of North Carolina, students measured Jordan’s jumps in various scenarios. Here’s what they found:

Standstill (no basketball): 35.93 inches
Running head start (no basketball): 45.76 inches
During a one-handed dunk: 41.70 inches
During a two-handed dunk: 40.93 inches

Now, let’s plug these vertical jump values into our equation and calculate his hang time: $t = \sqrt{\dfrac{d}{48}}$

Jump scenario	Vertical jump height	Hang time
Standstill (no ball)	35.93 inches	0.86 seconds
Running head start (no ball)	45.76 inches	0.98 seconds
During a one-handed dunk	41.70 inches	0.93 seconds
During a two-handed dunk	40.93 inches	0.92 seconds

Jordan’s peak hang time was just shy of 1 second. It might not sound like much, but let’s compare it to an average person.

A typical athletic man in his 20s has an 18-inch vertical, resulting in a hang time of 0.61 seconds.

While 0.61 seconds isn’t too far off from Jordan’s peak, every tenth of a second is a game-changer in the world of sports.

Important Note: Everyone’s center of gravity will accelerate the same. Some people simply jump higher than others. How long you stay afloat directly relates to the height of your jump. The higher you jump, the longer you stay in the air.

In the end, the same laws of physics that apply to you and me apply to Michael Jordan as well. Jordan gives the impression of flying because of the following factors:

He holds the ball longer before shooting or dunking. On the way down is when he releases the ball.
He pulls his legs up in the air to give the impression he’s staying higher than he truly is.
He changes his center of gravity by curling and straightening his body in mid-air with the ball in his hand.

Michael Jordan’s 1988 free throw dunk hang time

The 1988 free throw dunk showcased Michael Jordan’s phenomenal hang time like never before. Regrettably, accurate hang time calculations are impossible due to insufficient data, as I couldn’t find any concrete information on his peak jump height.

Nevertheless, let’s attempt to model Jordan’s hang time using this simple equation:

h = ho +vo(t) + 1/2gt $^{2}$ , where,

h: peak height of the object falling

ho: initial height of the object from the surface

vo: object’s initial velocity

t: time the object spends in the air (in seconds)

g: gravitational acceleration

This quadratic equation reveals a parabolic relationship between height and air time. The y-axis represents jumping height, while the x-axis signifies time.

The parabola’s vertex corresponds to Jordan’s maximum height off the ground. Upon closer examination, the x-intercepts indicate his take-off and landing points. The x-intercepts’ difference reveals Jordan’s hang time.

In this legendary free throw dunk, Jordan didn’t quite reach his full jumping height. He had to harness his thrust to propel himself horizontally as well, covering nearly 15 feet towards the basket from the foul line.

Maximizing both vertical and horizontal jumping distances simultaneously is impossible. Ultimately, Jordan’s awe-inspiring hang time clocks in at a modest yet remarkable 0.98 seconds.

Important Note: It’s believed that the maximum human hang time is around 1 second. This perceived limitation is biological.

Using the equation $t = \sqrt{\dfrac{d}{48}}$ , we can see that it’s possible to have a hang time greater than 1 second. For example, if someone has a 50-inch vertical, they will have a hang time of 1.02 seconds. Perhaps one day, through bioengineering, someone will be able to achieve a 70+ inch vertical jump.

Michael Jordan’s hang time on other solar system surfaces

Let’s have some fun! I mean, who wouldn’t want to see how His Airness would fare on different planetary objects? I’m talking about taking Michael Jordan’s hang time to a whole new level – quite literally. Because let’s face it, even the greatest basketball player of all time was limited by Earth’s gravity.

But fear not, my fellow MJ fans! With a few calculations, we can explore just how high Air Jordan could jump on celestial bodies. So, let’s assume that Jordan jumps with the same force he did on Earth, and use his incredible 45.76 inch vertical as our reference point.

Let’s take a look at how Jordan would perform on Jupiter, for example. With a gravity of 24.79 m/sec $^{2}$ , Earth’s gravity pales in comparison at 9.81 m/sec $^{2}$ . So, Earth’s gravity is 9.81/24.79 = 0.40 of Jupiter’s gravity.

So, if we do the calculations, we find that Jordan’s vertical jump and hang time on Jupiter would be:

45.76 inches x 0.40 = 18.3 inch vertical
0.98 seconds x 0.40 = 0.39 seconds of hang time

Even Air Jordan wouldn’t be as exciting to watch on Jupiter.

But let’s not get too down on MJ’s otherworldly abilities just yet.

Just imagine the possibilities on other solar objects! Can you picture MJ soaring through the air on the Moon or Pluto? With less gravity to contend with, he’d truly be unstoppable.

Here are some more calculated numbers for your viewing pleasure:

Solar system object	Gravity (m/s²)	Jump height (inches)	Hang time (seconds)
Earth	9.81	45.76	0.98
Venus	8.87	50.61	1.26
Mars	3.72	120.67	3.00
Jupiter	24.79	18.11	0.45
Saturn	10.44	43.00	1.07
Neptune	11.15	40.26	1.00
Pluto	0.62	724.04	18.02
Moon	1.62	277.10	6.90
Sun	274	1.64	.04

“What’s Michael Jordan’s hang time?” wrap up

Jordan once famously said,

“I mean we all fly. Once you leave the ground, you fly. Some people fly longer than others.”

He wasn’t kidding.

Jordan was undeniably a phenomenal athletic force. However, even the legendary MJ couldn’t suspend himself in the air for more than a fleeting second.

Yet, witnessing the way he danced through the air and the heights he achieved, we caught a glimpse of the unimaginable. Time seemed to stand still as he gracefully soared across the sky, his tongue playfully wagging. It was pure, unadulterated poetry in motion.

Now, just picture Jordan performing his magic on our neighboring Moon. What an awe-inspiring spectacle that would be!

What do you find the most impressive about Jordan’s ability to jump? Do you think any human will ever be able to hang in the air for more than 1.5 seconds?

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Engineer Calcs

Koosha started Engineer Calcs in 2020 to help people better understand the engineering and construction industry, and to discuss various science and engineering-related topics to make people think. He has been working in the engineering and tech industry in California for over 15 years now and is a licensed professional electrical engineer, and also has various entrepreneurial pursuits.

Koosha has an extensive background in the design and specification of electrical systems with areas of expertise including power generation, transmission, distribution, instrumentation and controls, and water distribution and pumping as well as alternative energy (wind, solar, geothermal, and storage).

Koosha is most interested in engineering innovations, the cosmos, our history and future, sports, and fitness.

What’s Michael Jordan’s Hang Time on Earth & Beyond?