Course Description
Modern-day sports and the world-class athletes who excel at them take center stage in this journey through sports science. This course provides students with a survey of the impact of physics, biomechanics, and physiology on 14 modern sports. The first unit describes the role physics plays in a variety of sports, from the aerodynamics involved in auto racing to the force behind a boxer’s right hook. The next unit investigates the biomechanics of these sports, discussing concepts like the contortion of a gymnast’s body and the cause of tennis elbow. The last unit focuses on the limits of the human body, describing the energy used by cyclists during a mountain climb through the Alps and the reaction time required to hit a fastball traveling at 90 miles per hour. Overall, the course presents engaging information that will forever change how students perceive world-class athletes and competition.