Prior to our input with Richard, I was (yet again) confused to how sports and mathematics were linked. I was a keen netball player and coach when I was in school and my main aim when playing would be trying to win the match with my team by using various tactics; not by using mathematics to help achieve this. However, after our input I was eager to find out how maths and netball were connected.
Netball and Mathematics
- The court – the size of the court is 30.5 metres long and 15.25 metres wide and is divided into thirds. The centre circle has a diameter of 0.9 meters and the two shooting semi circles are measured at 4.9 metres.
Dsr.wa.gov.au. (2017). Netball. [online] Available at: https://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/support-and-advice/facility-management/developing-facilities/dimensions-guide/sport-specific-dimensions/netball [Accessed 9 Nov. 2017].
- Positioning – When a player attempts to defend or intercept the ball, they must be at least 0.9 meters away from the player with the ball.
- Speed and accuracy of the pass is key for moving forward and into the shooting semi-circles. The quicker and more accurate the pass is, the less likely the opponent team can intercept it.
- Shooting – A technique that many GS and GA use when shooting is positioning your elbow at a right angle when holding the ball, which improves stability.
- The timings – A netball match lasts an hour and is split into fifteen minute quarters.
Angles, distance, time and speed are just a few of the basic concepts used in mathematics which links to what Liping Ma refers to (Ma, 2010).
This short video highlights how mathematics is used in sports as a whole. For example, discussing a players statistics which enables them to determine their strengths and weaknesses, deciding where a player is going to be positioned in the game/pitch or even the way in which the game is scored – mathematics is always involved. The clip then goes onto explore how mathematics plays a key role in cricket. Mathematics is used to calculate the total number of overs in a match (an over is a set of six balls bowled from one end of a cricket pitch) and calculate the average and strike of the batsmen and bowlers. The video also suggests that the measurement of the bat and ball can affect the player’s performance within a game. This is further supported by ‘The Physics of Cricket’ as they explain why lighter bats can be swung faster than heavier bats:
“Imagine hypothetically that the bat weighs 10 grams. If you swing it as fast as possible, you might get the tip to travel at 160km/hr. Now double the weight to 20 gm. This time the tip travels at about 159 km/hr. The problem here is that your arms weigh about 8kg all up, so the extra 0.01 kg is hardly noticeable. Most of the effort needed to swing a bat goes into the swinging the arms.” (Physics of Cricket, 2005).
Reflecting on this input, I have discovered that many fundamental concepts are used throughout sport; not only are these concepts reflected in the equipment used in a game e.g. a bat and ball, but are also used by sports players to improve their performance within a game.
Through my journey in discovering mathematics, it has become apparent to me that mathematics is everywhere. The idea of maths being all around us needs to be reflected in the classroom to minimise the idea that maths is not just about equations and fractions; but is in actual fact heavily reflected in our day to day lives e.g. in our favourite sports. Demonstrating how maths can link to pupils interests, makes the subject more enjoyable and relevant (The Scottish Government, 2008).
Ma, L., (2010) Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics (Anniversary Ed.) New York: Routledge.
Physics of Cricket (2005) Available at: http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~cross/cricket.html (Accessed: 9 November 2017).
The Scottish Government (2008) curriculum for excellence building the curriculum 3 a framework for learning and teaching. Available at: http://www.gov.scot/resource/doc/226155/0061245.pdf (Accessed: 9 November 2017).
