The Physics of Football : Discover the Science of Bone-Crunching Hits, Soaring Field Goals, and Awe-Inspiring Passes

Do you cringe when a linebacker flattens a quarterback? Hold your breath when a field goal sails toward the goalpost? Watch in amazement as a touchdown pass spirals down the field? Behind those big hits, long kicks, and sensational throws is a science that will give you a whole new perspective on the game of football.

A combination of Stephen Hawking and Mike Ditka, physicist and football fan Timothy Gay breaks down the fundamental laws of physics that govern America’s most exciting spectator sport. To illustrate the science behind the game, he highlights some of football’s recent memorable moments, along with legendary feats from the likes of Franco Harris and Joe Montana.

Did you Know?

• Newton’s Second Law of Physics proves that Dick Butkus hit running backs with the force of a small killer whale.
• The average force with which a football must be kicked during kickoff is 450 lbs. But for an instant, the force may be as much as a ton.
• Shaun Rogers, firing off the line of scrimmage, can develop as much as four horsepower by himself.

Customer Review: Bone cracking way to teach physics
Having trouble teaching hard-headed kids some physics? Then this is the text book for you. Learn the concepts of energy and momentum conservation as it applies to many-body collisions. Learn about acceleration as the wide receiver peels off. Your students will not only see football in a whole new way, they will learn some physics that will stay with them the rest of their lives.

Alex Alaniz Ph.D.

I agree with other reviewers that this book has too many topics covered (147) for the general public. But if you happen to have a degree in math, physics, chemistry or engineering AND have kids, this is a great book to get ideas from to teach your kids really FUN and important ideas beyond what is taught in school.

Alex Alaniz

1. Please see the reviews of my own strong science fiction book: Beyond Future Shock about the near-terms perils and promise of advanced bio/nano technology in a world still roiled with Middle Age religious conflict and ever growing extreme wealth gradients.

2. I have REVIEWED many books from undergraduate to graduate in: PHYSICS, MATH, ECONOMETRICS, and HISTORY among other areas. More Info

Written by Stanley on August 30th, 2006 with comments disabled.
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The Sunday Game: At the Dawn of Professional Football (Ohio History and Culture)

In the most complete and compelling account of the origins of professional football, The Sunday Game tells the stories of all the teams that played independent football in the small towns and industrial cities of the Midwest, from early in the twentieth century to the beginning of the National Football League shortly after the end of World War I. The foundations of what is now the most popular professional sport in America were laid by such teams as the Canton Bulldogs and the Hammond Clabbys, teams born out of civic pride and the enthusiasm of the blue-collar crowds who found, in the rough pleasure of the football field, the gritty equivalent of their own lives, a game they could cheer on Sunday afternoons, their only day free from work. More Info

Written by Stanley on August 30th, 2006 with comments disabled.
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