Nanobowl -The Physics of Football

Science PR is a tough job - trying to convince the average Joe that science is relevant and awesome when he just doesn't get why black holes colliding at near light speed is incredibly amazing. The average scientist finds the kickassitude of that concept so utterly primal that being asked to explain why it's good is like being asked for an essay with citations on "Why breathing is good".

Communication between the two groups is always tricky, but the American Physical Society (APS) has very nearly pulled it off with the 'Nanobowl' contest. The subject is good (create a two-minute video on the physics of football), the prize is awesome (a nano-etched football pitch smaller than a bacteria), and it looks like a great way to promote physics in the real world. Then they spectacularly fumble the ball by saying they'll award the prize on Superbowl Sunday - thereby revealing that nobody involved has even heard of someone having somewhere else to be that day, and the "nerd/regular human" stereotype is horribly reconfirmed.

Football is a great field to demonstrate many simple but important physics concepts. Anybody who's been tackled by a linebacker has a tremendous understanding of mass and momentum (and probably a few weeks in traction to think about them), passes are the very image of ballistics (with complementary aerodynamics thrown in), and of course there are the wonderful applications of chaos theory - normally screamed by irate fans wondering how a professional football player, whose entire job is to hold a football, can fumble the damn thing ten meters from the end zone in the playoffs.

Some might say these applications are too simple to consider - but those aren't the people this competition is designed for. It's for those with a love of physics and presentations, and to harness their power to generate presentations that can be used to interest a whole new generation of people who don't realize that physics kind of runs every single thing ever. Besides, anyone who can calmly consider kinetic energy equations while a combined five hundred kilos of human battering ram is bearing down on them is probably a little too buys fighting the Daleks to enter.

The organizers recently relented, moving the award date back and allowing submissions right up to the Superbowl - unfortunately, this kind of change is usually a sign of a lack of entries rather than a moment of clarity about suitable dates. With a cool thousand dollars in prize money, an even cooler nano-etched football field trophy, and a very worthwhile goal we hope that more people take the challenge - and look forward to some entertaining youtube clips.

Posted by Luke McKinney.

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Links:

Nano-etched trophy http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114112014.htm

Nanobowl contest http://www.physicscentral.com/nanobowl/