Learn Math through Sports – 2

You would have often heard the commentators saying that the "ball passed him at a difficult angle". Whether it is cricket, football or tennis, a ball hit at a greater angle is difficult to reach.

In cricket, when a batsman normally hits a shot at a particular angle with respect to the line of the fielder, the fielder has to move in the direction of the ball to prevent it from traveling to the boundary. So the fielder tends to walk-in so that when he runs or dives towards the ball, he is able to reduce the distance between him and the ball.

In football, typically during a penalty shot, the shooter tries to kick the ball at a wide angle (closer to the goalposts), so that it is difficult for the goalkeeper to reach. The goalkeeper in turn, tries to position himself diagonally so that he is at a comfortable distance whether the shot is hit vertically, to the side, or if he is lucky, diagonally, so that he is close enough to stop it.

It is interesting that there is so much that Math and sport have in common, to learn from each other!