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COPYRIGHT 2005 Science Weekly, Inc.
Background
Children love sports. They love to play them, watch them, and talk about them. Sports are a perfect way to draw your students into science. The three main questions to address are what are sports? What is science? What does science have to do with sports?
Sports are a type of game, meaning that they are fun activities involving: rules and regulations. But sports are a special type of game that physically involves people. In sports, the game is played by people moving around. There are, of course, numerous types of sports. Some are individual sports and some are team sports. They vary in how complicated they are and in how much equipment is used.
Science is a way of looking at the world. Scientists ask questions, think about potential answers, and then design experiments to answer their questions. They pay close attention to details and make careful observations. When doing experiments they are careful to test only one thing (variable) at a time.
What does science have to do with sports? Truly, everything! Science is the study of the universe and there are very few, if any, aspects of sports that cannot be related to science. Even some thing like the superstitions players have are related to science. Do the rituals work? Not directly, but they may help the player by improving their confidence.
To see the connections between sports and science just think about the sport of baseball. First examine the players. Their physical skills involve the motion of the body which involves the biology of the human body and the physics of force and motion. Players must be strong, flexible, coordinated, fast, and have a good sense of balance. Different body shapes are good for different types of sports. Each of these aspects involves biology, chemistry, and physics.
The role of the brain is also important and thus neurobiology and psychology play a role. It is through practice that players make the brain-brain and brain-muscle connections better. The emotional well-being of players is crucial for their performance so teams often hire psychologists to help players visualize, reduce stress, and find ways to "psych out" the opponent.
Think about the clothing baseball players wear. Their shoes have cleats to increase friction. They wear protective devices to cushion the blow of moving objects. The shape of the glove and helmet all depend on science.
And, of course, think about the physics involved in the moving bat and ball. Most people think that the way to make a baseball go farther is to hit it harder. That is true, but things are not that simple. How far a baseball travels depends on six things: the mass of the ball (how heavy it is), the mass of the bat, the speed of the ball when it hits the bat, the speed of the bat when it hits the ball, the angle at which the bat hits the ball, and the "bounciness" of the ball. Batters have a tough time! And all that involves science!
Once you begin to look at the world scientifically, you see science everywhere. Every sport can be analyzed in a scientific way, and professional athletes and their trainers obviously do. The same factors involved in making athletes better, especially practice time, can be applied in regular school work as well.
So, have fun with this topic and work with your students to explore the connections between science and sports.
DID YOU KNOW??
Muscles feel like they are "burning" when you use them too much because of the buildup of lactic acid.
DID YOU KNOW??
Sherman Poppen of Michigan built the first snowboard in 1964 after watching his daughter try to slide down a hill while standing on her sled.
DID YOU KNOW??
An ant can pick up and carry a rock 50 times its own weight. That would be like you carrying an elephant.
DID YOU KNOW??
Because the air is thinner in Denver, pitchers can throw faster fast baits but poorer curve balls.
Level Pre-A
Initiating Questions
1. What are sports?
2. What are your favorite sports?
3. Do you like playing sports?
Follow-up Questions
1. How are sports good for you?
2. What is balance?
3. Why do players need to react fast?
Vocabulary
Ask your students if they know what the letters spell. Ask them if they enjoy sports. Discuss with them their experiences with sports.
Weekly Lab
Balance is an important part...
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