This course introduces physics in the context of sports and daily exercise. Topics include most of the following, depending on class preparation and interest: motion, force, energy, collisions, momentum, pressure, and fluids to explain what we see on the court, field, pool, and road. The course is intended to connect a student’s genuine interest in athletics to concrete materials. The course is also aimed to show athletes & trainers how to perform in sports games with optimal results. Conceptual reasoning is stressed, and mathematics is kept to the level of elementary algebra.
Prerequisites
MATH 094, placement into a higher-level mathematics course, or an instructor’s permission
- Identify the fundamental laws of physics and their applications in sports or relevant events.
- Qualitatively describe velocity, acceleration, force, momentum, work, and energy occurring from daily exercise, sport game equipment, and athletes.
- Identify the key mechanism of physics in exercise to achieve optimal performance.
- Use mathematics at the level of elementary algebra to solve problems and analyze physics in sports.
- Make, analyze, and interpret graphs of experimental data.
- Physical motion and Usain Bolt
Speed, velocity, and acceleration
The race of the century: Usain Bolt vs aircraft
Speed of animals, light, sound, and long-distance runners - Newton playing ball
Newton’s laws of motions and football
Net Force on a ball: Dwight Howard illustrates
Net force and momentum gain: How to drive balls or hit targets effectively - Rotational Motion and Impressive Pirouettes
Angular speed
Centripetal force and gymnastics
Moment of inertia and angular momentum in figure skating and diving - High Energy Sports
Work and power in weightlifting
Kinetic and Potential Energy from the pole vault and archery - Various Sport Projectiles
Projectile physics and the shot put
Effect of human anatomy on the shot put, long jump, and Air Jordan
Projectile accuracy in basketball, tennis, and football - Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics in Sport
The drag force
The lift and Magnus force
Aerodynamics in sports examples and introduction to sports hydrodynamic - Are All Records the Same?
The effect of wind speed on sprinting and throwing events
The effect of altitude and temperature on sprinting and cycling
Exams and Quizzes 50-60% Homework: 20-30% In-Class Discussion: 20%
PO5 should be assessed: Students will be able to solve problems by gathering, interpreting, combining and/or applying information from multiple sources.