In basketball, why does a player dribbling the ball exert less pressure on the ball compared to a player holding the ball stationary?

Question

a. The player dribbling applies a smaller force.
b. The player dribbling increases
the area in contact with the ball.
c. The player dribbling decreases the time of contact with the ball.
d. The player dribbling increases the momentum of the ball.

Answer 1

The correct answer is c. The player dribbling decreases the time of contact with the ball.

When a player is dribbling, they are continually bouncing the ball on the ground, which means that the contact time between the ball and the player's hand is very brief. Because the time of contact is shorter, the average pressure exerted on the ball during each bounce is lower compared to when a player is holding the ball stationary, which involves a longer duration of pressure applied.