Mathematics and Sport: Final Score - Professor John D Barrow

From league tables to game-set-match, an investigation of the mathematics behind scoring systems in sport.

Mathematics and Sport: On the Waterfront - Professor John D Barrow

The mathematics behind water sports like rowing and swimming.

100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Sport - Professor John D Barrow

"What can maths tell us about sports?" - John Barrow offers some of the many interesting possible answers to this question.

Olympism: Fair Play - Dr Jim Parry

Fair Play is at the heart of sports ethics, and of Olympic ethics. But what does it mean, and how does it work?

Mathematics and Sport: Throwing, Jumping, and Spinning - Professor John D Barrow

What knowledge does mathematics provide of the sports in the gymnasium, the velodrome, and the diving pool? Why do high jumpers use the Fosbury flop and long jumpers cycle in the air? How high can rugby players jump in the line out?

Olympism: Education - Dr Jim Parry

Education through sport is seen as the cornerstone of Olympic ideology. But should we suspicious of how this is put into practice? How, if at all, has this key aim been implemented by London 2012?

Olympism: Ethics and Politics - Dr Jim Parry

What is the philosophy of life behind the Olympics? How does this with the confrontation of sport with the worlds of politics and ethics?

Maths and Sport: Records, Medals and Drug Taking - Professor John D Barrow

We examine the striking patterns between world record performances in different sports and ask what events an ambitious nation should target as the ‘easiest’ in which to win Olympic medals. How does Olympic success correlate with a nation’s GNP? How does the location of the Olympics affect the chance of record breaking? And how can simple statistics help us understand the likelihood of winning streaks and the chance that an innocent athlete will fail a drugs test?

David and Goliath: Strength and Power in Sport - Professor John D Barrow FRS

Top athletes seem to get bigger and bigger. How does size affect performance? Why do some sports have weight categories while others don’t? What types of lever are employed in sports events like gymnastics and wrestling and how much force does a karate blow need to exert to break a brick? These are some of the questions that we will answer by using simple maths.

Maths and Sport: How Fast Can Usain Bolt Run? - Professor John D Barrow

How can Usain Bolt improve his world 100 metres sprint record significantly without improving his speed? We examine the mechanics of sprinting and the effects of wind assistance, timing accuracy, and altitude on sprint times.