Gold Medal Physics

The Science of Sports
Erscheinungsjahr 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8018-9322-3
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 232 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 380 g

Nothing is quite as thrilling as watching superior athletes do the seemingly impossible. From Doug Flutie's "Hail Mary" pass to Lance Armstrong's record-breaking climb of Alp d'Huez to David Beckham's astounding ability to bend a soccer kick, we marvel and wonder, "How did they do that?" Well, physics professor John Eric Goff has the answers.

This tour of the wide world of sports uses some of the most exhilarating feats in recent athletic history to make basic physics concepts accessible and fun. Goff discusses the science behind American football, soccer, cycling, skating, diving, long jumping, and a host of other competitive sports. Using elite athletes such as Greg Louganis and Bob Beamon as starting points, he explains in clear, lively language the basic physical properties involved in amazing and everyday athletic endeavors. Accompanied by illustrations and mathematical equations, each chapter builds on knowledge imparted in earlier portions of the book to provide a firm understanding of the concepts involved.

Fun, witty, and imbued throughout with admiration for the simple beauty of physics, Gold Medal Physics is sure to inspire readers to think differently about the next sporting event they watch.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Goff, John Eric

Fachgebiete

• Mathematik | Informatik Mathematik Mathematik Allgemein Populäre Darstellungen der Mathematik
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Enzyklopädien, Nachschlagewerke, Wörterbücher
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Physik Allgemein Theoretische Physik, Mathematische Physik, Computerphysik
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Quantenphysik
• Sozialwissenschaften Sport | Tourismus | Freizeit Sport Sport, Sportwissenschaft: Allgemeines

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
1. The Pre-Game Show
2. It's Not Over Until the Trombone Player Goes Down: Vectors and How to Think Like a Physicist
3. All Hail Flutie: Gravity and Projectiles
4. Vive le Lance: Simplifying the Complicated
5. A Leap into the Unknown: More Projectiles and Angular Momentum
6. Amazing Spins in and around All Kinds of Water: Rotations in Water Sports
7. Soccer Kicks Gone Bananas: Off-Center Kicking and the Magnus Force
8. Four Olympics and Four Straight Gold Medals: Centripetal Motion and Lift
9. It Takes More Than a Big Gut: Caloric Consumption and Linear Momentum
10. The Post-Game Show
Further Reading
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Goff, John Eric
John Eric Goff is a professor of physics and the chair of the physics department at the University of Lynchburg. The author of Gold Medal Physics: The Science of Sports, he holds a black belt in karate and a purple belt in Krav Maga.

John Eric Goff is an associate professor of physics and chair of the physics department at Lynchburg College.