Science of Sports- The diary of a jobless scientist

For long, the field of science has been looked upon as a safe haven for all that is geeky and nerdy. Little does the normal public know that the applicability of science in day to day life is immense and since this a sports related article, we shall talk about the applicability of science in the field of sports, the various laws of motions and scientific principles that govern them.

1) Law of inertia- The body continues to be in a state of motion until and unless an external force acts upon it.

Examples- A player catching the ball or stopping a boundary in cricket, a goalkeeper stopping a shot in football.

Simple physics

Exceptions- The law is not applicable when the ball is set in motion by forces such as “Sachin Tendulkar”, “Rahul Dravid”, “MS Dhoni” in cricket and “Lionel Messi”,”Steven Gerrard”, “Wayne Rooney” and pretty much the entire FC Barcelona team in football.

The little masters- Messi and Tendulkar

2) Evolution- Darwin’s principles on the evolution of species are of a completely biological nature and since biology is also a part of the field of science, we can’t proceed without making a mention of it. This principle states that in due course of time and under specific conditions, any kind of species tend to evolve and go higher up in the food chain.

Examples- The Indian cricket team under Gary Kirsten, Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, Barca under Pep Guardiola, our erstwhile hockey team under Major Dhyan Chand.

Guardiola's Barca and Major Dhyan Chand's hockey team – gems indeed

Exceptions- Contradictions to this principle are those who have spared no effort in making sure that their players explore the missing evolutionary link between men and ape for example- Greg Chappel for the Indian cricket team.

Lets put a smile on that face shall we…

3) Total force – All of you must have learnt the formula F=mass x acceleration in your school days. In this context, ‘mass’ is the amount of talent that a team possesses and ‘acceleration’ is the source of inspiration that drives the team, namely fans.

Examples- Liverpool FC, with its appreciable pool of talent and an extremely loyal fan base qualifies as a prime example of this law.

Exceptions- South Hall United from the movie “Dhanadhan Goal”; with people like John Abraham, Arshad Warsi and an extremely fat defender in its line-up, you don’t expect much.

goooooaaaaaal

4) Hooke’s law of elasticity (Tolerance)- A material when subject to continuous force experiences elastic deformation and when the force stops acting, the material will return to its original shape. There is a limit to the amount of stress that the material can endure beyond which permanent deformation takes place.

Examples- West Indies Cricket Team: Even in the application of the slightest of pressures, the team seems to capitulate and fall to pieces.

Calypso gone crazy, maan!

Exceptions- MS Dhoni: whether it be people tearing down his under construction house after the 2007 World Cup debacle or giving him a Godly stature after the glory of the 2011 World Cup victory, whether the team is in a comfortable situation or facing tonnes of pressure during a match, Dhoni’s resolve is the same. No wonder he is called “Captain Cool”.

Cool as a cucumber -MSD

5) Law of Conservation of Energy- Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it just gets transferred from one player to another.

Examples- Manchester City qualifies as a prime example in this law. Sheikh-al-Mansour paid top dollar to assemble the most balanced and well-equipped squad Manchester City has had till date for it is a team that possesses tremendous flare and energy. The substitution of a fiery Argentine by the name of Aguero is followed by the arrival of his comrade by the name of Tevez or by the arrival of the former Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli. The energy reserves of this team is mind-boggling.

Fiery Blues!– a result of money well spent by Sheikh-al-Mansour

Exceptions- Southall United (sorry, readers….couldn’t resist it)

6) Le Chatelier’s principle- This is a little hard to explain but I will try my best. What it means is that when a system in equilibrium is acted upon by an external force for e.g.-pressure, the system tries to regain equilibrium by nullifying the effect of the force.

Examples- They are a plenty

The Indian cricket team was robbed of its dignity in the tour of England a few weeks ago- we were handed a 4-0 Test series whitewash and lost all one day matches that had a result. Matches where we had a realistic chance of winning were ruined due to rain, and one such result ended in a tie via the D/L method (even the rain Gods went against us). But look at how the tide is turning. England is being handed defeats after defeats and that too in a convincing and dominating manner. Anyone in the mood for some “Barmy Kabab”?

Payback time

A seemingly unbeatable Indian Hockey team ruled the roost for the better part of the 20^th century. They forced oppositions to surrender to their impeccable playing style. Time passed and they became a portrait of utter disarray. The recent Asian Champions Trophy victory was a step towards progress. A comeback on the cards? Maybe.