Football Physics: The Science of the Game

From start to finish this was a fascinating book. There is also a great deal of football history sprinkled throughout. It does a great job introducing the football portion of the topic, then the physics lesson, and then combines them to understand how the physics principle is implemented in real life. It does take a basic understanding of physics to really grasp the concepts since the book does not go into a great deal of detail on the principles. It starts with the fundamentals of blocking a tackling and you gain a much greater understanding of the forces an NFL player can generate. Then you get to understand the precision required to run a passing and kicking game. I especially enjoyed the section on pursuit angles and maximizing the yardage gain. A very fast read that was very enjoyable.

If Thmothy Gay doesn't rewrite this book into a high school level physics text he's really missing a bet. Of course I don't know anything about selling textbooks, but boy, I sure wish I'd had something like this when I was first taking physics in high school. Dr. Gay is both a professor (atomic physics) and a football fan. What happens when a heavy, fast moving player (like Warren Sapp) hits a much lighter quarterback (Doug Flutie)who is standing still? This is such a better question than a mass of blah with a speed of blah-blah, and so on. Or what was the accuracy required of Joe Montana in throwing to Jerry Rice in The Catch during SuperBown XXIII. Montana had to throw the ball at just the right speed, just the right direction, and just the right time. But how fast, how accurately, and what was the margin of error on his timing. The book is a delightful read on aspects of the game of football rarely seen.

If you're a football fan but don't know anything about physics, this book will teach you some things about physics you probably don't know but will enjoy learning. If you're a student of physics but don't know anything about football, this book will teach you some things about football you probably don't know but will enjoy learning. But if you're both a football fan and a student of physics well, then, this book will be a delightful read for you and you will learn some things about the "physics of football" you may not know but should know, if for no other reason than you can now show your family and friends how the principles and methods of physics are applicable to a popular human activity and one of our favorite pastimes. Now, don't get me wrong. You don't have to be a football fan or a student of physics to enjoy this book. In fact, if you don't fall into either of these categories, you may enjoy reading the book even more because you'll be learning about two unfamiliar subjects instead of just one. Consider it an exciting journey into the unknown. The author of "Football Physics: The Science of the Game" is eminently qualified to write the book. Dr. Timothy Gay played football at Caltech and earned a doctorate in atomic physics at the University of Chicago, and it is obvious from his writing that he remains a loyal fan of the game. Furthermore, there is no question about his talent in applying the principles of physics to an activity that most of us probably never realized had much in the way of scientific principles attached to it. Well, I was certainly surprised to learn just how much physics is involved in a game that hundreds of thousands of fans watch each week during the football season. And I suggest that all those high-school football players out there might profit immensely from taking some time out of practice to spend some time with Dr. Gay's book. Initially, we are introduced to Newton's First Law. Don't recall who Isaac Newton was? No matter. You'll know who he was and why he is important before you get to Chapter Two. Anyway, Newton's First Law simply says that "mass wants to continue doing what it's doing, whether it's at rest or in motion." What's that got to do with the game of football? Well, for one thing, it "provides the reasoning behind why quarterback sneak plays work if well timed." There's more involved here, of course, but you'll have to read the book to find out what. Then, there is Newton's Second Law which states that "the force applied to an object is the product of the object's mass and its acceleration." When you think of "mass" in the context of football, think Refrigerator Perry. The author explains how this great football player can be used to illustrate this second physical law. You'll also learn a lot about acceleration, speed, and velocity and why these are important to a scientific understanding of football. Finally, there is Newton's Third Law which says that "whenever two objects collide, no matt

If you are a football fan but could never really quite get a grip on physics Timothy Gay may have the answer for you. Basic Newtonian physics are used to explain what happens when two players of different mass collide, the best pursuit patterns, ball spiral, and even why passes go further in the Denver Broncos stadium when compared to Giants Stadium. Or conversely, he uses football to explain Newtonian physics. Either way, by approaching the subject from the standpoint of a common background (football) the author makes basic physics easy to comprehend. Football Physics: The Science of the Game is a thoroughly enjoyable book and a great way to introduce students to physics in a way that illustrates its application in every day life. I wish a book like this had been available when I was first learning physics, it would have been a lot more fun.