Click and solve! Google doodle turns basketball into a math showdown

Wednesday, Nov 12, 2025, India! Today when Indians open Google, they are greeted by an animated doodle that turns the familiar logo into a moving math lesson. The star of the show? The quadratic equation — ax² + bx + c = 0 — a formula that powers everything from engineering calculations to the graceful arc of a basketball shot.

What the doodle shows is parabolic play. The doodle animates the Google letters into parabolas, with the second “g” and “e” kicking a basketball‑shaped “o” back and forth over the “l”. This visual cue ties the quadratic curve to real‑world motion.

Clicking the doodle redirects to Google Gemini AI, where a prompt explains how a basketball’s flight follows a parabola because of gravity. Plug in time values (x‑axis) and get the ball’s height (y‑axis) instantly.

Launched first in the US on Sept 8, 2025, the doodle has now reached the UK, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, and several Middle‑East nations before landing in India on Nov 12.

Quadratic Equation + Basketball = Real‑World Math

The equation ax² + bx + c = 0 isn’t just a textbook line—it’s the backbone of projectile motion.

Gemini AI breaks it down — By plugging different time values, you calculate the ball’s height at any moment. That’s the quadratic equation in action, turning math into slam‑dunk fun.

Ready to test it?

Open Google, click the doodle and let Gemini AI walk you through a shot!