The Physics of Sports
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Many of us, in one way or another, have some kind of a connection to sport. Some will be sports professionals, such as coaches and athletes, whereas others may just be casual spectators admiring the achievements of competitors. Like most things in life, those achievements are determined by scientific principles.
This course aims to provide an understanding of the physical mechanisms behind many popular sporting events.
Understand the Science driving Sporting Performance
- Learn how speed and acceleration relate to sprinting
- Understand how Newton’s laws of motion determine the path of a football
- Apply the principles of rotational motion to gymnastics, figure skating and diving
- Use the principle of energy conversion for estimating the height achieved in the pole vault
- Learn what the optimum launch angles are for the long jump and other sports projectiles
- Apply basic aerodynamics principles to the javelin throw, ski jumping and swimming
- Estimate the effect of wind speed, altitude, temperature and equipment on various sports
Based on my successful book, “An Introduction to the Physics of Sports”!
Contents and Overview
How are Newton’s three laws connected to football, and various forms of energy to cycling? What is the relationship between figure skating pirouettes and rotational motion? Do basic aerodynamics concepts influence performance in ski jumping, and hydrodynamics mechanisms, the world records in swimming?
The aim of this course is to present the physical laws that affect various sports. With the help of simple simulations and graphs, it is easily appreciated that science defines the performance of athletes, whereas at the same time the student is introduced to basic physics concepts in a novel and pleasant way.
In the seven sessions of the course, the scientific principles and theory governing specific sports and the performance of athletes are presented. For example, the concepts of velocity and acceleration are analysed through the performance of the leading short-distance athlete, Usain Bolt and Newton’s three fundamental laws of motion are portrayed in football and basketball.
The course includes 24 lectures with almost 2 hours of video content, links to numerous scientific articles of mine on sports physics and links to many videos of great sporting moments. At the end of each session a quiz is included to assess student understanding.
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1
Average, instantaneous speed and Usain Bolt's split timesAfter this lecture students will have an understanding of average and instantaneous speed having used Usain Bolt's split times as an example.
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2
Velocity and acceleration
After this lecture students will have an understanding of velocity and acceleration, having used Usain Bolt's performance as an example.
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3
The race of the century: Usain Bolt vs aircraft
After this lecture students will have an understanding of how to interpret kinematics graphs using a virtual race of Usain Bolt against an aircraft.
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4
Speed of animals, light, sound and long distance runners
After this lecture students will obtain an understanding of the speed humans can achieve in relation to other animals, why we hear the pistol after we see the athletes start their race and of the performance of long distance runners.
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5
Quiz for section 1
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6
Newton's laws of motion and football
After this lecture students will have an understanding of Newton's three laws of motion having used football (soccer) as an example.
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7
Estimating the flight path of a football
After this lecture students will have an idea of how scientists can use Newton's laws of motion to determine the path of a football.
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8
The concept of momentum and basketball bounce
After this lecture students will have an understanding of the concept of momentum, having used the bounce of a basketball as an example.
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9
The principle of momentum conservation and the coefficient of restitution
After this lecture students will have an understanding of momentum conservation and the coefficient of restitution having used examples from ice hockey, basketball, golf, etc.
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10
Quiz for section 2
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11
Angular speed and the discus throw
After this lecture students will have an understanding of angular speed, having used the discus throw as an example.
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12
Centripetal force and gymnastics
After this lecture students will have an understanding of centripetal force and how it applies to gymnastics, cycling, discus throwing, etc.
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13
Simulation of a giant circle in gymnastics
After this lecture students will have an idea of how scientists can use the concepts of angular speed and centripetal force to simulate the motion of an athlete performing a giant circle in gymnastics.
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14
Moment of inertia and angular momentum in figure skating and diving
After this lecture students will have an understanding of the concepts of moment of inertia, angular momentum and conservation of angular momentum and how they affect figure skating and diving.
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15
Quiz for section 3
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16
Work and power in weightlifting and cycling
After this lecture students will have an understanding of mechanical work and power, having used examples from weightlifting and cycling.
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17
Mechanical energy and the pole vault
After this lecture students will be able to use the concept of mechanical energy conservation in sports, after having seeing it applied to the pole vault event.
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18
Mechanical energy, the Fosbury Flop and skydiving
After this lecture students will see how mechanical energy conservation can be applied to the Fosbury flop and to skydiving.
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19
Quiz for section 4
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20
Projectile physics and the shot put
After this lecture students will obtain an understanding of parameters influencing the range of projectiles according to the idealised theory, using the shot put as an example.
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21
Effect of human anatomy on the shot put, long jump and Air Jordan
After this lecture students will understand the effect of anatomy on sports projectiles such as the shot put and the long jump.
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22
Projectile accuracy in basketball, tennis and football
After this this lecture students will have an understanding of the parameters affecting the accuracy of sports projectiles with examples from basketball, tennis and football.
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23
Quiz for section 5
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24
The drag force
After this lecture students will have obtained an understanding of the drag force in sports.
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25
The lift and Magnus forces
After this lecture students will have obtained an understanding of the lift and Magnus forces in sports.
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26
Aerodynamics in sports examples and introduction to sports hydrodynamics
After this lecture students will have an understanding of the aerodynamic effects on sports such as ski jumping and the javelin and will also appreciate the basic concepts of hydrodynamics as they are applied to swimming.
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27
Quiz for section 6
