Basketball

Shooting arcs, court angles, and box-score math.

6 formulas

Stats

Field Goal Percentage

FG\% = \frac{FGM}{FGA} \times 100

Share of field goal attempts that went in (two-pointers and three-pointers).

Stats

Free Throw Percentage

FT\% = \frac{FTM}{FTA} \times 100

Share of free throws made from the line.

Stats

Points Per Game

PPG = \frac{\text{Total Points}}{\text{Games Played}}

Average points scored per game over a stretch or season.

Trajectory

Shot Arc Height

h(t) = -\frac{1}{2}gt^2 + v_0 t + h_0

A jump shot follows a parabola; higher arc can mean a softer landing angle at the rim.

Angles & distance

Court Spacing Triangle

c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2}

Spacing drills often form right triangles: two legs along the sideline and baseline, hypotenuse the pass distance.

Stats

Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%)

eFG\% = \frac{FGM + 0.5 \cdot 3PM}{FGA} \times 100

Effective field goal percentage (eFG%): counts made three-pointers as 1.5 two-pointers so deep shooting is valued fairly.

About sports math

Sports math applies real formulas to the games students follow—batting average and ERA in baseball, shooting percentages in basketball, passer rating in football, xG and group-stage points for World Cup Seattle 2026 soccer, plus golf and volleyball stats and the physics of speed, distance, and projectile motion.

Each sport pairs a plain-language formula with a calculator and links to the Formula Library, turning stats and game situations into approachable practice for ratios, percentages, and algebra.