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Gold Medal Physics: The Science of Sports
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.
232 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 18, 2014
I heard this book mentioned last Friday on NPR and was immediately intrigued - physics and sports! I was hoping to see physics made more accessible (much as Nate Silver did with statistics and Leonard Mlodinow did with randomness and probability). But Goff was way too deep into the equations for this to appeal to the average reader or sports fan.
Now, I love the physics, analysis, and the equations, but if Hawking's shared admonition holds true - every equation reduces readership by 50% - Goff must not have too many readers out there. More's the pity, because this is a fun book, the physics is good, and Goff did a very good job talking about models and approximations. His jokes need work though...can't be everything, right?
Now, I love the physics, analysis, and the equations, but if Hawking's shared admonition holds true - every equation reduces readership by 50% - Goff must not have too many readers out there. More's the pity, because this is a fun book, the physics is good, and Goff did a very good job talking about models and approximations. His jokes need work though...can't be everything, right?
Displaying 1 of 1 review