Physics and sport: flying balls, perfecting technique, and wellbeing in academia

For sports fans, the next few weeks will bring excitement and drama. The Euro 2024 football (soccer) tournament is under way in Germany and the Copa América is about to kick off in the US. Then at the end of July, the Olympics starts in Paris as athletes from across the world compete to run, jump, sail, cycle and dance themselves into the history books. In this episode of Physics World Stories, you will hear from two US physicists with a profound connection with sport.

The first guest is John Eric Goff of the University of Lynchburg, author of Gold Medal Physics: the Science of Sports. After training as a condensed-matter theorist, Goff has focused his research career the physics of sport. In a wide-ranging conversation with podcast host Andrew Glester, Goff discusses everything from the flight of balls to the biodynamics of martial arts. He also considers how data and AI in sport are changing the practice and the spectacle of sport.

Our second guest is Harvard University’s Jenny Hoffman, who recently set the record for the fastest woman to run across the US. In November 2023 Hoffman completed the 3000 mile (5000 km) journey in just 47 days, 12 hours and 35 minutes, running from San Francisco to New York City. Hoffman, who studies the electronic properties of exotic materials, speaks about the benefits of having hobbies and passions outside of work. For her, running plays an essential role in wellbeing during her successful career in academia.