Mathletics 100 Amazing Things You Didn't Know about the World of Sports

How can sprinter Usain Boltbreak his world record without expending any additional effort? Which demands afaster reaction time, tennis or baseball? What dates of birth give rise to thebest professional athletes? Is it better to have the inside or outside laneduring a race? And how can you improve your balance just by changing yourposture? Drawing on vivid, real-life examples, John D. Barrow shows how mathand physics can give us surprising, often counterintuitive insights into theworld of sports. For example, we learn that left-handed boxers have astatistical advantage over their right-handed opponents and that gymnastsperforming the giant swing maneuver on the high bar experience strongerg-forces than roller-coaster designers are allowed to create. Thanks to lucid explanationsand a healthy dose of humor, Mathletics is the perfect book for sports enthusiasts and mathlovers alike.