Category: Everyday mathematics

The Bounce of the Superball

The commercially available 'Superball' of hard rough rubber displays many counterintuitive properties which seem to violate Newton's laws of motion. We will see that the Superball can be understood but its behaviour is completely different to a billiard ball when it undergoes collisions with a wall. We will look also at some other unusual motions of swerving and spinning balls in sports.

Maths and Sport

Maths can tell us unexpected things about sporting movement and performance. We look at some of the things that we can learn about running, jumping, throwing, swimming and systems of point-scoring by using simple maths and mechanics. Whether you are a coach, a competitor, or just a spectator, maths can enrich your sporting experience!