General Discussion

trof

(54,274 posts) Fri Jan 23, 2015, 07:14 PM Jan 2015

Another 'DeflateGate' theory. Weather/temperature? [View all]

Just spitballin' here.

Every tine we have a cold snap I can be sure that the 'low tire pressure' light will come on when I start my '08 Prius.
Looks kinda like this (!)

Cold causes things to contract, including the air in your tires.
As it would the air in a football.

Is the air pressure checked indoors?
Or out on the field after the balls have cooled down?
Just a thought.

51 replies

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Another 'DeflateGate' theory. Weather/temperature? [View all] trof Jan 2015 OP

All I can think of is louis-t Jan 2015 #1

NFL has ruled out the temperature as a factor. eom MohRokTah Jan 2015 #2

They don't believe in physics? trof Jan 2015 #3

They claim that temperature variations... Bad Thoughts Jan 2015 #4

Aha! Now we're parsing. trof Jan 2015 #6

I believe it would have required a 45 degree drop in temperature Bad Thoughts Jan 2015 #8

The temperature was 59 degrees MohRokTah Jan 2015 #5

Yes, but it was raining. Pouring down. trof Jan 2015 #9

It is physically impossible for the balls t deflate by 2 PSI... MohRokTah Jan 2015 #10

The temperature was 50 not 59 at game time. former9thward Jan 2015 #13

Exactly. Barometric pressure changes have an effect too! trof Jan 2015 #15

Using your methodology, I calculated that dumbcat Jan 2015 #18

I agree. former9thward Jan 2015 #19

Joule-Thompson Effect - look it up. jberryhill Jan 2015 #36

Do you actually own a compressor? dumbcat Jan 2015 #43

I guess we need to know what they fill the balls with jberryhill Jan 2015 #44

They fill them with helium so they'll stay in the air longer. randome Jan 2015 #45

Exactly. And that is the crux of the problem dumbcat Jan 2015 #47

There was one article... jberryhill Jan 2015 #48

Of course, one of these would work much quicker: icymist Jan 2015 #20

No question. former9thward Jan 2015 #22

All those fancy calculations do NOT account for the fact that the Colts balls were subject pnwmom Jan 2015 #28

The calculations aren't all that fancy jberryhill Jan 2015 #39

Failure of invalid equilibrium assumptions jberryhill Jan 2015 #38

it's not so much the ambient conditions that are relevant... mike_c Jan 2015 #24

They think the rules of physics apply equally to Colts and Patriots balls. pnwmom Jan 2015 #27

Except the footballs on the other side of the field were and remained properly inflated mythology Jan 2015 #31

Accuweather says based on the temp change the FB's would have deflated by .4 psi not 2 psi Quixote1818 Jan 2015 #7

But the evaporation factor! trof Jan 2015 #11

It was raining, so almost no evaporation was occuring in the moist air Quixote1818 Jan 2015 #50

so balls on one side of field deflate, and those on the other side do not? magic not science on point Jan 2015 #12

Both sides supply the balls they will play with on offence. former9thward Jan 2015 #14

'human intervention'. Ya think? trof Jan 2015 #16

That or God. former9thward Jan 2015 #17

I'm going with God. trof Jan 2015 #21

If there was a simple scientific situation based on storage or testing conditions, pnwmom Jan 2015 #30

Temp was 51 at kickoff. Cali_Democrat Jan 2015 #23

Seems a reasonable possibilty: Faryn Balyncd Jan 2015 #25

How would that explain the 12th Patriots ball or all 12 Colts balls? pnwmom Jan 2015 #26

It might depend on the internal temperature of the balls before inpection. The temperature drop from Faryn Balyncd Jan 2015 #32

I read that all 11 balls were at least 2 under, not just one of the balls. pnwmom Jan 2015 #33

There have been conflicting reports: Faryn Balyncd Jan 2015 #34

If the human intervention took place in the beginning, pnwmom Jan 2015 #35

That's interesting. Faryn Balyncd Jan 2015 #37

when its cold and I go outside olddots Jan 2015 #29

NO! No! No! KMOD Jan 2015 #40

Perhaps the tapering could have been by using heat Faryn Balyncd Jan 2015 #42

I think DeflateGate is overblown davidpdx Jan 2015 #41

"Look, you don't understand. There was shrinkage." WinkyDink Jan 2015 #46

I was in the pool! I was in the pool! pintobean Jan 2015 #49

;-) WinkyDink Jan 2015 #51