Physics Fun with the Tour de France and World Cup Soccer 3/28

Join John Eric Goff, a Professor of Physics at University of Lynchburg, for Physics Fun with the Tour de France and World Cup Soccer. Goff's main research area over the past quarter century has been the physics of sports. Though his research has touched on many areas of sports physics, two of his main research projects have been modelling the Tour de France and studying the aerodynamics of soccer balls. Several undergraduate physics students have contributed to the aforementioned projects as well as indispensable contributions from colleagues in Japan and England. Tour de France modelling focuses on predicting the winning time for each of the 21 stages. Besides having a solid physics foundation, such modelling makes use of current research into human performance and aerodynamic aspects of bicycle races. Investigations into the aerodynamic properties of soccer balls in flight uses data from a wind tunnel and the physics of a soccer ball moving through air. Goff's general-audience talk will highlight several fascinating aspects of his Tour de France and soccer research, including how many Big Macs one must consume to win the Tour de France and why South Africa's 2010 World Cup ball, Jabulani, was not a good soccer ball.