quantumofsport.com

Maths in sport #1

An interesting lunchtime lecture at the Museum of London yesterday by Prof. John D. Barrow gave a whistle-stop tour of some miscellaneous uses of physics and mathematics in sport, including, inter alia:

* Why Bradley Wiggins uses solid disc wheels at the velodrome (a lower moment of inertia means it’s easier to accelerate).
* Why the classic alternating configuration of oarsmen in a rowing crew may be sub-optimal and results in an unwanted lateral wiggle (albeit usually imperceptible to the onlooker).
* Why, somewhat unexpectedly, the optimal launch angle for the shot-put is a little less than the 45° learnt for classical projectile motion in A-Level mechanics (even if the effect of air resistance is discounted).
* Why the old ice skating ranking scoring system led to perverse results.

QoS will be looking to provide some maths-in-sports related gubbins of its own in due course.

Winter Olympics: That’s (not) Entertainment

It is not the Canadians’ fault but I am struggling to get into these Winter Olympics. Why? Firstly, the modern Games have become too costly, commercial and generally bloated. Secondly, there is the jingoism: switch over to any country’s channel and you will have a flag-waving national medal-hunt. Thirdly, TV broadcasters and commentators over-egg the pudding: so much Is Thrilling – so little is left to speak for itself. Fourthly (last but by no means least), the death of the Georgian luge competitor cast a long, long shadow. What these things have in common is that Sport is being confused with Entertainment. We must be enthralled by a lavish opening ceremony. And we’ll feel better about ourselves if our boys and girls bring back some medals but it’s all going to be a must-watch in any event. As for the luge, you have to feel that if a sport or track is designed for speed, this is done at least partly for the ‘excitement’ of those who merely sit and watch. Sport has become a fast-moving consumer good but it is not there solely for our viewing pleasure. Sometimes it should be allowed to be just a little bit dull.

Sports calendar: The Big 10 for 2010

Having taken advantage of one or two quieter moments over the festive season to scour the schedules for the year ahead, quantumofsport.com is proud to present its brand new “Sports calendar 2010”. As ever, it will be a busy 12 months in the world of sport, with a range of top events competing for our attention. The calendar represents our (non-exhaustive) selection of what to look out for. We’ve also picked out – here below – ten of the biggest sporting occasions of the year, restricting ourselves to one entry for each sport we cover on a regular basis: it’s The Big 10 for 2010. Let’s hope there’s plenty of drama in store…

Feb 6-Mar 20, Six Nations rugby (for N. hemisphere fans at least!)
Feb 12-28, Winter Olympics, Vancouver, Canada
Apr 17-May 3, snooker World Championship, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
May 16, Formula 1 Monaco GP (or any other between Mar 14 and Nov 14!)
Jun 11-Jul 11, soccer World Cup, South Africa
Jun 21-Jul 4, Wimbledon tennis
Jul 3-25, Tour de France (starting in Rotterdam and Brussels)
Oct 1-3, Ryder Cup golf, Celtic Manor, Wales
Oct 3-14, Commonwealth Games, New Delhi, India
Nov 25->, Ashes Test cricket series Australia v England

For the full calendar, click here.

The Twelve Days of Sporting Christmas

This article will not provide you with a clutter of birds, trees & jewellery to add to the unwanted Christmas jumper and the double decker that's always the last to go from the selection box. Instead in the aftermath of Christmas Day come 12 days, 12 sporting fixtures and this writer's suggestions for how to turn a US$10 bill into one million pounds sterling (though don't blame us if you're still only left with the Christmas jumper! - ed).

On the first day of Christmas (26th of December) the sporting gods gave to me

Kauto Star in the King George VI chase {current odds 8/13}

On the second day of Christmas the sporting gods gave to me

India to beat Sri Lanka in the 5th One-Day International {5/6}

On the third day of Christmas...

Fulham to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge {12/1} (gotta love the value in a two-horse race) 

On the fourth day of Christmas

Minnesota Vikings^* to triumph @ Chicago Bears {1/3 but still value in this bet - there will only be one outcome (surely!)}

On the fifth day of Christmas

England to win the 2nd Test on day 5, presumably down to the performances of their South African exiles {7/2}

On the sixth day of Christmas 

Scarlets to beat Dragons in the Magners League (that's Rugby Union for the uninitiated)

At this point our investment of US$10 should (notionally) be nearing the $5,000 mark, which would be a much better reason to crack open the bubbly than the passing of an arbitrary date on a calendar. 

On the seventh day of Christmas

Harlequins to beat Sale in the English Premiership

On the eighth day of Christmas

Luton to win away at Southampton in the FA Cup

On the ninth day of Christmas

Celtic to beat Rangers in the first Old Firm tussle of 2010

On the tenth day of Christmas

Sri Lanka to beat Bangladesh in cricket ODI. (Think long and hard about the value afforded by Bangladesh in this fixture... then back Sri Lanka anyway)

On the 11th day of Christmas

Boston Bruins^* to beat the New York Rangers in the NHL

and finally... on the 12th day of Christmas the sporting gods gave to me 

Parma to beat Juventus.

* The pedants amongst you may have noticed that the hockey and American football games are actually taking place a day earlier than I have put them but I am basing this on when the game finishes and the money appears in my UK betting account (same logic used for the Test match). I think my dates are correct for anybody living East of Galway and West of Mumbai - to readers outside this area I offer my sincere apologies but assume that the million quid will soften the blow.