All the Right Angles : From Gear Ratios to Calculating Odds: Mathematics in the World of Sports

A visual reference to the mathematics of sports.

Any definition of sport begins with the term "physical". Motion, power, energy and momentum are the driving forces of physics, and numbers govern all sports. People and objects move in lines and curves, geometry determines progress, times are recorded, points counted, scores calculated. Without understanding numbers, it is impossible to understand sport. Athletes should be interested in the mathematics of sport for the simple reason that it can help them win. For fans, it brings greater enjoyment from their favorite sport.

All the Right Angles is a fun, fascinating and highly visual book that explains the mathematical and scientific principles in sports. With a clear infographics approach, the book never burdens readers with too many numbers and formulas or slows them down with jargon. Instead, dynamic layouts, bold and colorful diagrams and minimal text promote easy comprehension.

There are four parts with self-contained spreads that cover 89 topics in all. They include:

• Power and Motion: Basketball and Conservation of Energy; Ball Games and the Magnus Effect; Football and Newtonian Physics of Collision; Squash and Gas Pressure; Cycling and Gyroscopes
• Angles, Trajectories and Geometry: Mathematics of a Golf Shot; Pool and Tangent Lines; Auto Racing and Distance; Baseball and Trajectories; Cycling and Gradients
• Numbers and Statistics: Statistics in Baseball; Mathematics and Fantasy Football; Game Theory and Fencing; The Statistics of Home Advantage
• Mathematics, Biology and Environment: Effects of Tennis Court Surfaces; Horsepower; Skydiving and Terminal Velocity; Fencing, Tennis and Reaction Speeds; Hydration and Performance.

Eight "Sports by Numbers" feature spreads cover baseball, football, rugby, golf, cricket, soccer, tennis and Formula 1. Throughout the book are facts, statistics, trivia and little-known anecdotes that will entertain all sport fans and athletes.

Sports offer a unique and engaging way into an intimidating topic that many people have written off as "too hard." The games we love have an unrivalled power to turn us on to the beauty of numbers. All the Right Angles is a highly entertaining introduction to that power for the mathematically-minded, the science buff and the curious reader alike.

Joel Levy is a writer, journalist and the author of more than a dozen books on science and history, including A Bee in a Cathedral. He has written features and articles for the British press, and appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Joel has a BSc in Biological Sciences and an MA in Psychology and lives in London, England.