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We have known for quite some time here at Sheffield Hallam University the value of using sport to teach science. Sport is ideal for grabbing people’s attention and getting them interested in science, engineering and technology. We often do public lectures which are always packed out by people interested in sport who also want to know more about the science. We explain complex scientific problems and the hard bit is usually trying to stop the questions at the end. If you’re thinking about using sport to teach science (especially as the Olympics approaches) then here are some resources that might float your boat.
Enjoy!
Sports Lab: our very own interactive exhibit in Sheffield’s Weston Park Museum on the science behind the medals.
When researching topics for lectures and public talks I often find myself on youtube, clicking through an endless parade of videos in search of interesting stories and useful information. It was while looking into the history of the golf ball (a fascinating topic in itself!) that I stumbled across the following clip.
Golf is an obsession for millions and now an Olympic sport. The intricacies, delicacies and finer details of the game are what set it apart to makes it one of the most loved and hated sports in the world. Golf is a rough sea of changing hope and fortune, a game of highs and lows, altercations and frustrations. At the centre of this sporting mosaic lies the swing. The way the club moves through the air determines everything from whether the ball feels like a rock or marshmallow on impact to its resulting trajectory and indeed, its destination. Every golfer dreams of the perfect swing, of hitting that monster drive, of playing that perfect approach. Coaching is essential for improvement; and even the best players in the world receive regular support. However, lessons can be expensive and sometimes self-analysis can be an easier and more rewarding option. Recording and watching your swing is a crucial first step and seeing it properly for the first time is akin to hearing the sound of your own voice. The next step is to compare your swing to one that works and who better to look to for guidance than the Pro’s? For years I have compared my swing to that of a certain Mr Eldrick Woods, believed by many to have the greatest golf swing of all time.
When I started a PhD on golf-green ball impacts back in 1985, my supervisor Dr Alastair Cochran suggested that I look for information on the Dambusters. For those of you not old enough to have seen the 1955 film starring Michael Redgrave, the Dambusters were the RAF’s 617 Squadron who flew Lancaster bombers during the 2nd World War. In Operation Chastise, they flew deep into Germany on a fully moonlit night to drop bouncing bombs onto reservoirs in an attempt to burst their dams and flood the factories in the flood plain below.
Now just what was the connection with golf? It wasn’t that Alastair was a 2nd World War buff (I don’t think), but he remembered that Barnes Wallis’ innovative design required the pilots to fly the bombers just above the water and drop spinning cylinders packed full of explosives. The key was that Wallis optimized the speed, angle and back-spin of the bomb’s bounces, so that it came to a halt at the dam and rolled down the inside of the wall before exploding at a depth of about 10 m.
Figure 1. Diagram to show how the bouncing bomb was used to attack dams (RAF Museum).
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Who has the fastest balls in the land? Part 2:
February 13, 2010 in Golf, Impact, Jai Alai, Shot Put, Sport | Tags: Commentary, Energy, Golf, Jai Alai, Jason Zuback, Paul Glazier, Randy Barnes, Science in Sport, Shot Put | by wiredchop | 6 comments
Part one of this article looked at a video featuring a golfing long-drive champion, Jason Zuback and the attempt to usurp Jai-Alai as the fastest ball sport in the world. Despite the less than scientific methods, Zuback managed to generate a golf ball velocity in excess of 200 mph, smashing two panes of tempered glass in the process.
Thanks to the help of long-drive professional and Sports Scientist, Paul Glazier, I have learnt that such velocities are pretty routine in long-drive golf, suggesting that Jai-Alai may have been dethroned for some time. However, I’d like to suggest a more reasonable method to compare ball velocities and see how golf really stacks up.
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