Gold Medal Physics

The Science of Sports

John Eric Goff (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

232 Seiten

2010
Johns Hopkins University Press (Verlag)
978-0-8018-9322-3 (ISBN)

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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.

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

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

Erscheint lt. Verlag	26.2.2010
Zusatzinfo	34 Illustrations, black and white; 36 Illustrations, black and white
Verlagsort	Baltimore, MD
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Gewicht	318 g
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik
	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport
	Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie
	Weitere Fachgebiete ► Sportwissenschaft
ISBN-10	0-8018-9322-4 / 0801893224
ISBN-13	978-0-8018-9322-3 / 9780801893223
Zustand	Neuware