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Gresham College
Mathematics and Sport - Professor John D. Barrow
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Maths and Sport: How Fast Can Usain Bolt Run? - Professor John D. Barrow
by GreshamCollege 62,994 views
How can Usain Bolt improve his world 100 metres sprint record significantly without improving his speed? How fast should he be able to run? We will also examine the mechanics of sprinting and the effects of wind assistance, timing accuracy, and altitude on sprint times and look at the status of the long-standing women's sprint world records set by the late Florence Griffiths Joyner ('Flo-Jo') in 1988.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/how-fast-can-usain-bolt-run
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk -
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Maths and Sport: Strength and Power - Professor John D. Barrow
by GreshamCollege 2,990 views
Top athletes seem to get bigger and bigger. How does size affect performance? Why do some sports have weight categories while others don't? What types of lever are employed in sports events like gymnastics and wrestling and how much force does a karate blow need to exert to break a brick? These are some of the questions that we will answer by using simple maths.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/david-and-goliath-strength-and-power-in-sport
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk -
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Maths and Sport: Records, Medals and Drug Taking - Professor John D. Barrow
by GreshamCollege 2,025 views
We examine the striking patterns between world record performances in different sports and ask what events an ambitious nation should target as the 'easiest' in which to win Olympic medals. How does Olympic success correlate with a nation's GNP? How does the location of the Olympics affect the chance of record breaking? And how can simple statistics help us understand the likelihood of winning streaks and the chance that an innocent athlete will fail a drugs test?
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/citius-altius-fortius-records-medals-and-drug-taking
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk -
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Mathematics and Sport: Let's Twist Again - Professor John D. Barrow
by GreshamCollege 1,823 views
Throwing things, and jumping up and down or along, lies at the root of many Olympic events. In the gymnasium, the velodrome, and the diving pool we also see the key role of rotation in dramatic displays of strength and speed. What light does simple maths shed on these movements and the stress they place on equipment and the human body? Why do high jumpers use the Fosbury flop and long jumpers cycle in the air? How high can rugby players jump in the line out? These are a few of the questions that maths can help us answer.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/let%E2%80%99s-twist-again-throwing-jumping-and-spinning
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk -
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100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Sport
by GreshamCollege 21,841 views
A lecture to mark the publication of Professor Barrow's latest book, 100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Sport.
The book asks the question, "What can maths tell us about sports?"
It sheds light on the mysteries of running, jumping, swimming and points scoring across the whole sporting spectrum. Whether you are a competitor striving to go faster or higher, or an armchair enthusiast wanting to understand more, this is a fascinating read with one hundred short pieces that range across a wide number of sports.
Find out: Why high-jumpers use the Fosbury Flop? How fast Usain Bolt can ultimately run and how he could break his records without running any faster? Whether there is a limit to human performance? Who the strongest man or woman is, pound for pound? Why there are so many different scoring systems in sport? If a 100-kilogram mass weighs more in London than it does in Singapore; what the best strategy for taking football penalties is? What the effect of those banned skin-tight swimsuits are? Why golf balls are dimpled? And, last, but not least, why does the bounce of a Superball seem to defy Newton's laws of motion.
Written for anyone interested in sport or simple maths, the book will enrich your understanding of sport and enliven your appreciation of maths.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/100-essential-things-you-didnt-know-you-didnt-know-about-sport
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk -
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Mathematics and Sport: On the Waterfront - Professor John D Barrow
by GreshamCollege 753 views
What can maths tells us about the best way to rig a rowing eight? Does a cox help or hinder a racing boat? How does the speed of a kayak or a canoe depend on the number of paddlers? And what if you fall in -- can maths tell us anything about the best way to swim?
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/on-the-waterfront
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk -
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Mathematics and Sport: Final Score - Professor John D. Barrow
by GreshamCollege 2,328 views
Why are there so many different scoring systems in operation in sport? We look at how structuring matches into a series of sets affects the relative roles of luck and skill in determining the winner of the contest. Did table tennis make a significant change to the game when it changed its scoring system? We also look at events like the decathlon where points are awarded for performances in different disciplines to see what sort of decathlete is most likely to win given the present points system.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/final-score
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk
