Newton's football
Subtitle: the science behind America's game
By: Allen St.  John and Ainissa G. Ramirez, PH.D.
Contributors: Ramírez, Ainissa, 1969- author
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 250
ISBN-13: 9780345545145
Subjects: Football; Physics; Sports sciences
Description: "How is the West Coast offense like quantum mechanics? How does the shape of the football invoke chaos theory? What lessons did Vince Lombardi glean from the brain of Sir Isaac Newton and the beautiful mind of John Nash? Should the NFL ban helmets? Why, in defiance of mathematics, does a coach almost never go for it on fourth down? The answers to these and dozens of other physics questions determine the outcome of every football game played in America, and--perhaps--the future of the nation's most popular sport"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: The past. The divinely random bounce of the prolate spheroid ; Teddy Roosevelt in the uncanny valley ; The robust and fragile face mask of Otto Graham ; Vince Lombardi's beautiful mind ; Darwin's placekicker: survival of the flattest; title: The game. The butterfly effect of Greg Cook ; As Mel Blount channels Thomas Edison ; How is a quarterback like your laptop? ; Sam Wyche at play in the fields of chaos ; Playing defense, Heisenberg style; title: The players. How to turn a big mac into an outside linebacker ; Sir Isaac Newton's fantasy football draft ; Choosing your next quarterback? They have an app for that; title: The future. Of risk, innovation, and coaches who behave like monkeys ; Desperation plus inspiration equals 16,632 eligible receivers ; The man who loved tackling ; Why woodpeckers don't get concussions; title: Epilogue: should the NFL ban helmets?.