Do you think balls can't fly? Or Do you think only NBA players can make a basketball fly in the air? Well, an exciting experiment will reall make you think again.

In a YouTube video that went viral, it showed a basketball being tossed off a 415 feet high Gordon Dam in Tasmania. The clip, which was uploaded by Veritasium, has fascinated almost seven million people, CNET has learned.

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As seen in the video, a first ball thrown down the dam with no spin and the wind takes the ball a little, but it falls below. Then they throw another ball, this time with a backspin, the maneuver you usually see in a three-point shot. The result? The ball drifted like a balloon before it dropped into the water.

The principle in the demo experiment is better explained by science and physics through the "Magnus Effect." According to Echo Examiner, the Magnus Effect happens when you give a ball a spin before you release it, it defies gravity momentarily.

The Magnus Effect, which was named after 1852 Physicist Gustav Magnus who described the effect of air applying forces to the object, is also the principle behind a spinning ball or cylinder curves away from its principal flight path, as it fly through the air.

Aside from spinning balls or cylinder, it also affects spinning missiles and has engineering uses like the designs on rotor ships and Flettner planes. The Magnus Effect can also be used to propel boats.

Meanwhile, the group from a trick basketball team, How Ridiculous, is the one responsible for this demonstration. They set Guinness World Record for the highest basketball shot atop the Gordon Dam, DNA reported.

"I literally just dropped it with a bit of spin, like, I didn't even throw it and it just took off, we had no idea it was going to do that," the guy who threw the ball said in the video. To learn more about the Magnus Effect, watch the video below.

TagsMagnus Effect, Flying Balls