October 8, 2009 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy Prof. David Toback Department of Physics and Astronomy Fun things to watch for during a Football game… Physics in Motion

October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy Watching a Football Game Learning a little more about the science of football can help you understand what makes a team successful (and watching fun) Ill show some video and point out some fun things to look for when you are watching the game

October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy Overview Offense: Trying to score a touchdown Defense: Trying to prevent a touchdown Kicking a Field goal: Instead of kicking it into the net (soccer), kick it through the uprights. Say a few words and then watch some examples

October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy The Physics Football, like most sports, is a game of speed and power –The people protecting the quarterback are enormous, ~300 lbs (~150 kg) The quarterback can throw a ball over 70 yards (~70 meters) The people trying to catch the ball are incredibly fast, some have run track in the Olympics! Kickers can put it through the uprights over 50 yards away (~50 meters)

October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy Speed AND Size If you are trying to run with the ball, then the bigger you are the more energy you have to not get tackled (you can break out of their arms!) However: –Most really heavy people cant run very fast –Most people who can run really fast arent very heavy What makes these men special is that they are both big AND fast

October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy Offense Offense: A running backs effectiveness is dependent on his energy, which is a combination of both his mass and his speed (mostly his speed) Adrian Peterson: Cyrus Gray:

One more quick one October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy

October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy Defense Defense: A defense's effectiveness is dependent on the same thing –Again, a combination of mass and speed Having big guys who can run fast is the ultimate advantage "The Hit" which is the ultimate combination of size and speed –Video clip 1Video clip 1 –Video clip 2Video clip 2

The Arm Strength and the Speed of Quarterbacks A quarterback must be fast, and have a strong and accurate throw Being able to find a reciever Long pass: Michael Vick October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Field Goal Kick Professional kicker puts a field goal through the uprights 63 yards away Is October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy

October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy Punting A punter kicks the football to a person downfield. While the ball is in the area his team runs down the field to try and tackle the guy who just caught the ball

October 8, 2009 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy Kick #3: Good enough: Goes pretty far! Good enough: Spends a good amount of time in the air so the people trying to tackle have enough time to get there! Kick #2: Good: Spends a long time in the air so the person trying to catch it has to wait. This gives the people who want to tackle him LOTS of time to get there! Bad: Doesnt go very far! Kick #1: Good: Goes really far! Bad: Doesnt spend a long time in the air! Person catching it will have lots of time to start running before the people trying to tackle him get there. He can build up speed! Makes him harder to catch and tackle Perfect Balance!

October 13, 2011 David Toback Professor of Physics and Astronomy Next time youre at a Football game, watch the power and speed Enjoy your Aggies!