Mechanics of the Summer Olympic Games

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The course objective is to present an overview of the mechanics behind a variety of sports from the Summer Olympic Games, which were held in London in 2012. It is well known that the conservation of angular momentum governs the motion of a diver or gymnast in the air and the equations of a ballistic trajectory can be used to describe the motion of everything from a bullet in a rifle event to the shot in a shot put event. This course goes significantly beyond such basic examples to examine how the same principles of mechanics can be used to explain more complex phenomena in walking, running, equestrian, football (soccer), golf, tennis, table tennis, badminton, and cycling, which help to make the Summer Olympic Games so exciting.