Magnus effect

The sideways force on a body moving through a fluid while spinning. It arises because rotation alters the surrounding flow and creates an asymmetric pressure distribution.

Boundary layer: A thin region of fluid near a surface where viscosity strongly affects the velocity profile. Viscous flow near the spinning surface helps transmit rotation to the surrounding air.
Curveball: A baseball pitch thrown with spin that makes its flight curve relative to a nonspinning pitch. A curveball is a familiar example of spin producing lateral aerodynamic force.
Lift (force): The component of force on a body in a fluid perpendicular to the oncoming flow. The Magnus force is a form of lift directed sideways for a spinning body.
Magnus glider: A flying toy or model that uses a rotating cylinder to generate aerodynamic lift. It demonstrates the effect with a simple rotating body in flight.
Circulation (fluid dynamics): A measure of fluid velocity integrated around a closed curve. The flow around a spinning body develops circulation associated with the transverse force.
Football (ball): An oval ball used in association football, designed to be kicked and carried through flight. Spin can bend a football's flight, especially on free kicks.
Bernoulli's principle: A relation in ideal steady flow connecting pressure, speed, and elevation along a streamline. Popular accounts invoke it to explain pressure differences, but it is not a complete causal account.
Roughness (fluid dynamics): Surface irregularities that alter the boundary layer and flow separation around a body. Surface texture can change the force's magnitude and even its direction.
Kutta–Joukowski theorem: A theorem relating lift per unit span on a two-dimensional body to fluid density, speed, and circulation. It quantifies how circulation produces a force perpendicular to the incoming flow.
Golf ball: A small dimpled ball designed for use in the sport of golf. Backspin and sidespin alter its lift and lateral motion through the air.

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