The Science of Soccer: A Bouncing Ball and a Banana Kick

by John Taylor

Overview

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. It is also an endless scientific panorama. Every movement by the players and each interaction with the ball involves physics, fluid mechanics, biology, and physiology, to name just a few of the scientific disciplines. In a book that targets middle and high school players, Taylor begins with a history of soccer and its physical and mathematical aspects. He then addresses important questions such as how and why a ball bounces, how the ball spins, and what these dynamics mean for the game. He introduces readers to the science of kicking, heading, and trapping and looks at the sources of the energy required to run, jump, and kick for an entire game. Taylor then puts it all together by following a sequence of plays and describing the science behind tactical maneuvers. Sidebars and appendices allow those with a more mathematical bent to follow the physics and perform experiments to see the effects of phenomena like drag, bounce, and spin. In addition, key terminology is highlighted, explained in the text, and summarized in the glossary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826354655
Publisher:	University of New Mexico Press
Publication date:	05/15/2014
Series:	Barbara Guth Worlds of Wonder Science Series for Young Readers
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	108
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

John Taylor is a former soccer referee, an engineer, a science writer, and a historian who is the author of four books on New Mexican history.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Chapter 1 The Beautiful Game 1

Chapter 2 An Introduction to the Physics and Mathematics of Soccer 12

Chapter 3 Follow the Bouncing Ball 27

Chapter 4 How about a Banana Split? 34

Chapter 5 Cracking the Whip 44

Chapter 6 Putting It All Together 58

Appendix A Verifying What You Have Learned 65

Appendix B Calculations for Chapter 6 79

Glossary 85

Bibliography 91

Illustration Credits 93

Index 97

Editorial Reviews

"The perfect resource for soccer enthusiasts, covering all things soccer. . . . This book would be an effective research resource for upper middle school and high school general science students and high school physics students. The book's strength is its ability . . . to clearly explain difficult physics within the context of a popular sport."—The Science Teacher

"The Science of Soccer explores the world of physics through the lens of the world's most popular sport, soccer. Taylor opens with a short history of soccer, then explains how scientific principles, such as friction, drag, and the Bernoulli effect, impact the game. Each principle is explained in great detail, with situational examples that can be found in a soccer game, and experiments are included to allow readers to observe the science."—VOYA

From the Publisher