Physics is Everywhere Essay

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Physics is Everywhere Essay

As Fall comes to a close and winter is upon us we can take an opportunity to reflect. Fall is the season of many events. For some it is the turning of the leaves that make it so memorable. For students, the excitement of a new school year and what that brings is always on the mind. Also on the mind of students, and professional fans alike, is the exhilaration and anticipation of a new season on the gridiron. This past fall I had the unique chance to document this exhilaration in a different manner. I chose to view the game of football through the eyes of science, physical science in particular. And with my own eyes, I will never view a football game in quite the same way again. Dr. Timothy Gay, a professor of physics at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln said, “Football is a manifestation of physics and it’s something people can relate to. It’s physics in action” (http://physics.unl.edu/outreach/football.html). Dr. Gay is right!

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 tell me about the best possible chase strategies for defensive backs? To get even simpler, when you throw a football across the yard to a friend, you are using physics. You make adjustments for all the factors, such as distance, wind and the weight of the ball. The farther away your friend is, the harder you have to throw the ball, or the steeper the angle of your throw. This adjustment is done in your head, and even with a soft grip of physics I have from one quarter with Dr. Mike Grams, I can tell you that these factors relate to physics.

In this essay, I hope to demonstrate the scienc...

... middle of paper ...

...tinctive, most players and coaches don't consciously translate the mechanics of physics into the game. By making that translation, we can understand and appreciate even more just how amazing some of the physical feats on the football field really are.

Works Cited

Football Physics with Dr. Tim Gay. 01 Feb. 2001. University of Nebraska. 15 Nov.

2005. <http://physics.unl.edu/outreach/football.html>

Gay, Ph.D., Timothy. Football Physics: The Science of the Game. Emmaus: Rodale,

2004.

Grams Ph.D., Mike. 15 Sept 2005- 17 Nov 2005. Lecture. 21st Century Physics and

Astronomy. University of Denver Department of Physics. 2005

Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics: tenth edition. San Francisco: Pearson, 2006.

The Physics of Football. 03 Mar. 2003. The American Physical Society. 15 Nov.

2005. <http://physics.unl.edu/outreach/football.html>

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