Mathematics And Sports

This is an eclectic compendium of the essays solicited for the 2010 Mathematics Awareness Month Web page on the theme of 'Mathematics and Sports'. In keeping with the goal of promoting mathematics awareness to a broad audience, all of the articles are accessible to university-level mathematics students and many are accessible to the general public. The book is divided into sections by the kind of sports. The section on American football includes an article that evaluates a method for reducing the advantage of the winner to a coin flip in an NFL overtime game; the section on track and field examines the ultimate limit on how fast a human can run 100 metres; the section on baseball includes an article on the likelihood of streaks; the section on golf has an article that describes the double-pendulum model of a golf swing and an article on modelling Tiger Woods' career.

"Some scientists claim that strong tobacco and spirits clear the head and spur creativity. It would be well, however, to try other means: to exercise, jog, swim, or learn to play games like tennis, basketball, badminton, volleyball, and so on...[N]ot only checkers, chess, cards, or billiards are a source of interesting problems. Other sports provide them as well. Mathematical methods are increasingly applied in sports. Just think how many yet-unsolved problems arise when we study the interaction between ball and racket or between ball and court." - from the introduction. This unique book presents simple mathematical models of various aspects of sports, with applications to sports training and competitions. Requiring only a background in precalculus, it would be suitable as a textbook for courses in mathematical modeling and operations research at the high school or college level. Coaches and those who do sports will find it interesting as well. The lively writing style and wide range of topics make this book especially appealing.

This fascinating book explores the mathematics involved in all your favourite sports. The Hidden Mathematics of Sport takes a unique and fascinating look at sport by exploring the mathematics behind the action. You'll discover the best tactics for taking a penalty, the pros and cons of being a consistent golfer, the surprising connection between American football and cricket, the quirky history of league tables, the unusual location of England's earliest 'football' matches and how to avoid marathon tennis matches. Whatever your sporting interests, from boxing to figure skating, from rugby to horse racing, you will find plenty to absorb and amuse you in this insightful book. Word count: 35,000 words

Can you really keep your eye on the ball? How is massive data collection changing sports? Sports science courses are growing in popularity. The author’s course at Roanoke College is a mix of physics, physiology, mathematics, and statistics. Many students of both genders find it exciting to think about sports. Sports problems are easy to create and state, even for students who do not live sports 24/7. Sports are part of their culture and knowledge base, and the opportunity to be an expert on some area of sports is invigorating. This should be the primary reason for the growth of mathematics of sports courses: the topic provides intrinsic motivation for students to do their best work. From the Author: "The topics covered in Sports Science and Sports Analytics courses vary widely. To use a golfing analogy, writing a book like this is like hitting a drive at a driving range; there are many directions you can go without going out of bounds. At the driving range, I pick out a small target to focus on, and that is what I have done here. I have chosen a sample of topics I find very interesting. Ideally, users of this book will have enough to choose from to suit whichever version of a sports course is being run." "The book is very appealing to teach from as well as to learn from. Students seem to have a growing interest in ways to apply traditionally different areas to solve problems. This, coupled with an enthusiasm for sports, makes Dr. Minton’s book appealing to me."—Kevin Hutson, Furman University

Of considerable interest to applied mathematicians as well as sporting enthusiasts is the mathematical theory underlying the many sporting activities documented here, ranging from the high jump to frisbees and soccer to table tennis.

Mathematics in Games, Sports, and Gambling: The Games People Play, Second Edition demonstrates how discrete probability, statistics, and elementary discrete mathematics are used in games, sports, and gambling situations. With emphasis on mathematical thinking and problem solving, the text draws on numerous examples, questions, and problems to expla

One of the greatest changes in the sports world in the past 20 years has been the use of mathematical methods to analyze performances, recognize trends and patterns, and predict results. Analytic Methods in Sports: Using Mathematics and Statistics to Understand Data from Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Other Sports, Second Edition provides a concise yet thorough introduction to the analytic and statistical methods that are useful in studying sports. The book gives you all the tools necessary to answer key questions in sports analysis. It explains how to apply the methods to sports data and interpret the results, demonstrating that the analysis of sports data is often different from standard statistical analyses. The book integrates a large number of motivating sports examples throughout and offers guidance on computation and suggestions for further reading in each chapter. Features Covers numerous statistical procedures for analyzing data based on sports results Presents fundamental methods for describing and summarizing data Describes aspects of probability theory and basic statistical concepts that are necessary to understand and deal with the randomness inherent in sports data Explains the statistical reasoning underlying the methods Illustrates the methods using real data drawn from a wide variety of sports Offers many of the datasets on the author’s website, enabling you to replicate the analyses or conduct related analyses New to the Second Edition R code included for all calculations A new chapter discussing several more advanced methods, such as binary response models, random effects, multilevel models, spline methods, and principal components analysis, and more Exercises added to the end of each chapter, to enable use for courses and self-study

How math can be used to improve performance and predict outcomes in professional sports Mathletics is a remarkably entertaining book that shows readers how to use simple mathematics to analyze a range of statistical and probability-related questions in professional baseball, basketball, and football, and in sports gambling. How does professional baseball evaluate hitters? Is a singles hitter like Wade Boggs more valuable than a power hitter like David Ortiz? Should NFL teams pass or run more often on first downs? Could professional basketball have used statistics to expose the crooked referee Tim Donaghy? Does money buy performance in professional sports? In Mathletics, Wayne Winston describes the mathematical methods that top coaches and managers use to evaluate players and improve team performance, and gives math enthusiasts the practical tools they need to enhance their understanding and enjoyment of their favorite sports—and maybe even gain the outside edge to winning bets. Mathletics blends fun math problems with sports stories of actual games, teams, and players, along with personal anecdotes from Winston's work as a sports consultant. Winston uses easy-to-read tables and illustrations to illuminate the techniques and ideas he presents, and all the necessary math concepts—such as arithmetic, basic statistics and probability, and Monte Carlo simulations—are fully explained in the examples. After reading Mathletics, you will understand why baseball teams should almost never bunt, why football overtime systems are unfair, why points, rebounds, and assists aren't enough to determine who's the NBA's best player—and much, much more. In a new epilogue, Winston discusses the stats and numerical analysis behind some recent sporting events, such as how the Dallas Mavericks used analytics to become the 2011 NBA champions.