I like to watch sports, even the Commonwealth Games. The science involved always amazes me. Take, for example, the game of squash which doesn't usually make it into the realm of spectator sports on television. It is a sport that I personally enjoy playing but watching high level players compete is interesting.
It is a very simple game, involving a small room, two players, two racquets and a squash ball. But despite the simplicity of the game squash is constantly changing.
For example, the equipment is constantly improving. Thanks to advances in materials science - the scientific discipline that examines the structure and chemical properties of new substances - we have new composite materials that make racquets lighter and stronger than they used to be.
When I started playing squash 20+ years ago, racquets were made of laminated wood or bamboo. Modern racquets are advertised as "100% graphite" which is actually not quite true as there are some resins and such involved in the manufacture. But they are definitely not made of wood and they are much stronger and lighter.
The new racquets have larger heads and more hitting surface which is only possible because of the new frames. The strings have to have a high enough tension for the ball to rebound. The strength of the wood frame, even laminated, prevented the head size from getting too large as a wood frame could not handle the tension. Graphite doesn't suffer from this problem.
Science has also improved the running shoe. They are now gel filled, flexible polymer, high tech designs which are both lighter and more springy, helping some players get around the court a little quicker. They don't make us slow old folks move that much faster but they certainly make it easier and take much of the shock out of rapid foot movements.
More important, though, than the changes in equipment and such are the underlying principles of the game itself. Almost all sports - in the final analysis - are a case of applied physics. Hitting a squash ball in mid-flight is a study in trajectories, impulse, and momentum.
The racquet must swing with exactly the right trajectory to intercept the trajectory of the ball, taking into account a myriad of minor details such as the distance to the wall, floor, and opponent.
The momentum of the racquet must be transferred to the ball in a moment of impact, providing sufficient impulse to change the direction of the ball to the desired new direction.
That new direction is a study in mathematics or, more accurately, in trigonometry. Getting the angle just right means that the ball goes exactly where you want it to in the court and away from your opponent.
This is not to forget chemistry, which is the basis of the materials for the new types of racquets and shoes but also explains why the transfer of energy as the ball hits the racquet or the wall results in the ball getting hotter as the game goes on. The energy has to go somewhere and the only place it can is into the air inside the ball. This heating of the ball occurs through adiabatic expansion and means that not only do the contents of the ball get hotter but the internal pressure increases. As a squash game progresses, the ball becomes more lively with better bounce. This can often fool novices as the ball isn't where it is supposed to be.
Of course, biology, kinesiology, and psychology all have their parts in sports - the human side of things. For example, squash uses muscles that I haven't stretched in any other activity and after the first couple of vigorous games, well, you know that they are there!
In the end, though, I enjoy playing a good game of squash. It is great exercise and when I am playing my mind is fixed on the moment - getting to the next ball and making the shot. But when I am sitting back and watching, it is sometimes fun to think of the science involved.
