What do you think?
Rate this book
Football Physics: The Science of the Game
You'll never view a football game in quite the same way again--the ultimate guide for the millions of impassioned fans who have turned football into America's most watched sport
What effect does altitude have on the flight of a kicked ball? How do Newton's laws of motion apply to blocking and tackling? What does the science of physics reveal to us about the optimal chase strategies for defensive backs? In this illuminating , enormously entertaining book, a physics professor with a rare gift for making science easy to understand-and fun-for the lay reader reveals the unseen natural laws that govern football. And in so doing, Dr. Timothy Gay broadens and deepens our appreciation for the strategic nuances of this deceptively simple game.
The success of such well received titles as The Physics of Baseball and The Physics of Golf has already demonstrated fans' fascination with the science underlying their favorite sport. But never before have basic physical principles been explained so clearly for sports fans with no scientific background. Readers will relive the game's enthralling moments and legendary feats-Franco Harris's Immaculate Reception, Joe Montana's scrambling pass for The Catch, Dick Butkus's bone-crunching, game-saving tackles, and many more-as they gain new insight into the dynamics of blocking and tackling, open field running, kicking, passing, the line of scrimmage, and the role played by equipment, turf, and the decibels of sound in stadiums.
Illustrated with classic black-and-white NFL action photos along with engaging popular-science diagrams, the book is an outgrowth of Dr. Gay's playful, brilliant lectures on the physics of football that have been adapted by the NFL for videos shown on the TV show Blast! which airs in 190 foreign countries.
What effect does altitude have on the flight of a kicked ball? How do Newton's laws of motion apply to blocking and tackling? What does the science of physics reveal to us about the optimal chase strategies for defensive backs? In this illuminating , enormously entertaining book, a physics professor with a rare gift for making science easy to understand-and fun-for the lay reader reveals the unseen natural laws that govern football. And in so doing, Dr. Timothy Gay broadens and deepens our appreciation for the strategic nuances of this deceptively simple game.
The success of such well received titles as The Physics of Baseball and The Physics of Golf has already demonstrated fans' fascination with the science underlying their favorite sport. But never before have basic physical principles been explained so clearly for sports fans with no scientific background. Readers will relive the game's enthralling moments and legendary feats-Franco Harris's Immaculate Reception, Joe Montana's scrambling pass for The Catch, Dick Butkus's bone-crunching, game-saving tackles, and many more-as they gain new insight into the dynamics of blocking and tackling, open field running, kicking, passing, the line of scrimmage, and the role played by equipment, turf, and the decibels of sound in stadiums.
Illustrated with classic black-and-white NFL action photos along with engaging popular-science diagrams, the book is an outgrowth of Dr. Gay's playful, brilliant lectures on the physics of football that have been adapted by the NFL for videos shown on the TV show Blast! which airs in 190 foreign countries.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 9, 2004
15 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 15, 2021
Book report
The book ¨Football physics The science of the game ¨ Its a educational non fiction book by Timothy Gay is a very interesting and educational book it helps the readers understand the game / sport of football better then they have before .
This Book talks about the physicists and science behind the sport of football . There are many little passages in the story talking about different NFL games. To show how the different types of physics can be used in football . The story talks about nail biting moments from different NFL and college football games .
Personally, the book to me was amazing. It was very interesting to learn the science behind the amazing game of football . I have been playing football since I was 8 i´m now 15 years old and this book taught me things my coaches never had taught me . After reading this book some of the tips it taught me I started thinking about in practice and then I used them in the game and it improved my skills . I really like the author's nail biting style .
The book ¨Football physics The science of the game ¨ Its a educational non fiction book by Timothy Gay is a very interesting and educational book it helps the readers understand the game / sport of football better then they have before .
This Book talks about the physicists and science behind the sport of football . There are many little passages in the story talking about different NFL games. To show how the different types of physics can be used in football . The story talks about nail biting moments from different NFL and college football games .
Personally, the book to me was amazing. It was very interesting to learn the science behind the amazing game of football . I have been playing football since I was 8 i´m now 15 years old and this book taught me things my coaches never had taught me . After reading this book some of the tips it taught me I started thinking about in practice and then I used them in the game and it improved my skills . I really like the author's nail biting style .
November 9, 2012
The Book Football Physics by Timothy Gay PhD is one of many books written about the math involved in sports. Football Physics go through many aspects of the game of football looking at the game from a mathematical point of view. This book is not a book for most people. It is very complex with all the equations it brings up. This book lacked interest and barely the linked the Physics to football. I would not recommend this book to any of my peers.
July 25, 2016
Boring with a capital B. If you are a physics student, I see a need for this type of material, if you are simply a football fan looking for something to read, look somewhere else. I only found the momentum discussion interesting as it pertains to linesman, otherwise read education of a coach...
February 10, 2012
I was listening to a radio interview with the author when I pulled into the library parking lot, so here we go.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews