Mathletics: A Scientist Explains 100 Amazing Things About the World of Sports - Hardcover

Barrow, John D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393063410 ISBN 13: 9780393063417

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012

Synopsis

An entertaining, eye-opening guide to what math and physics can reveal about sports.

How can sprinter Usain Bolt break his world record without expending any additional effort? Which demands a faster reaction time, tennis or baseball? What dates of birth give rise to the best professional athletes? Is it better to have the inside or outside lane during a race? And how can you improve your balance just by changing your posture? Drawing on vivid, real-life examples, John D. Barrow shows how math and physics can give us surprising, often counterintuitive insights into the world of sports. For example, we learn that left-handed boxers have a statistical advantage over their right-handed opponents and that gymnasts performing the “giant swing” maneuver on the high bar experience stronger g-forces than roller-coaster designers are allowed to create. Thanks to lucid explanations and a healthy dose of humor, Mathletics is the perfect book for sports enthusiasts and math lovers alike. 40 illustrations

About this title

About the Author:

John D. Barrow is professor of mathematical sciences and director of the Millennium Mathematics Project at Cambridge University, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is the best-selling author of many books on science and mathematics, including Mathletics: 100 Amazing Things You Didn’t Know about the World of Sports and 100 Essential Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know: Math Explains Your World.

Review:

“...Barrow’s writing is accessible and entertaining, just the thing for mathematically minded sports fans.”
- Publishers Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0393063410
• ISBN 13: 9780393063417
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320