{"id":23917,"date":"2014-01-30T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2014-01-30T14:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/?p=23917"},"modified":"2019-10-01T10:45:41","modified_gmt":"2019-10-01T14:45:41","slug":"football-math","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/football-math\/","title":{"rendered":"Football Math"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Football<\/p>\n

By\u00a0contributing writer\u00a0Marci<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Have you ever thought of football as a mathematical sport? Football is a game of numbers. Teams and fans keep track of yardage, tackles, and the score. It can be a great way to get your young football fanatics to become fans of math, too! Here are some ways to do football math with your kids.<\/p>\n

Calculating the Score<\/span><\/h2>\n

Calcualting the score of football games can be a great lesson in addition and multiplication. You can give them different scoring scenarios for a game and let them calculate the final score.<\/p>\n

First, you\u2019ll need to make sure they know how football is scored.<\/span><\/p>\n

touchdown = 6 points<\/span><\/p>\n

extra point after a touchdown = 1 point<\/p>\n

2 point conversion = 2 points<\/p>\n

field goal = 3 points<\/p>\n

safety = 2 points<\/p>\n

Next, give them scenarios such as:<\/p>\n

In the first quarter, the team scored a touchdown, an extra point and a field goal. How much did they score?<\/p>\n

The team scored 4 touchdowns, 3 extra points, a 2 point conversion and a field goal. How much did they score?<\/p>\n

You can make this as easy or as complicated as you want.<\/p>\n

Football Scoring Sheet<\/h3>\n

You can also use this football scoring sheet to help them keep track of points as they watch a football game.<\/p>\n

\r\n
\"Football<\/a><\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n Football Scoring Sheet<\/a>
\r\n Football_Scoring_Sheet.pdf
\r\n \r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n

<\/p>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Author:<\/strong><\/td>Linda<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Platforms:<\/strong><\/td>Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7<\/td><\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
License:<\/strong><\/td>Freeware<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Date:<\/strong><\/td>January 29, 2014<\/td><\/tr>\r\n \n <\/table>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n 239.8 KiB
\r\n Details...<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Calculating Running Distance at an Angle<\/h2>\n

In football, when a receiver gets the ball, he will run straight to the endzone. The job of the defending team is to stop him. Odds are that the defender will have run at an angle to try and catch the ball carrier. The defender needs to do some quick math.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Football<\/p>\n

The defender will instantly have to calculate the angle of pursuit in order to intercept the ball carrier. This also means the defender will have to run a longer distance than the ball carrier. How much farther?<\/p>\n

\"Football<\/p>\n

Using the Pythagorean theorem, a\u00b2 + b\u00b2 = c\u00b2<\/strong>,\u00a0 we can calculate the distance a defender needs to run to catch the ball carrier at a given point.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say the ball carrier is 30 yards from the end zone. Let\u2019s say the ball carrier and defender start at the same point on the field. but 20 yards apart. If the ball carrier runs straight to the end zone, a right angle is created between the starting positions of the defender, the ball carrier and the end zone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Football<\/p>\n

We can then use the pythagorean theorem to calculate the distance the defender has to run to intercept the ball carrier. If we say we want the defender to catch the ball carrier at the end zone, we know the ball carrier will have to run 30 yards. We also know that the ball carrier and receiver started 20 yards away from each other. Our calculation would look like this:<\/p>\n

30\u00b2 + 20\u00b2\u00a0= C\u00b2<\/strong><\/p>\n

900 + 400 =\u00a0C\u00b2<\/strong><\/p>\n

1300 =\u00a0C\u00b2<\/strong><\/p>\n

take the square root of both sides:\u00a0\u221a1300 =\u00a0\u221aC\u00b2<\/strong><\/p>\n

C = 36.06 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n

To intercept the receiver at the end zone, the defensive player would have to run 36.06 yards. With the information you now have, you could even have more math fun and calculate the angle of pursuit.<\/p>\n

On Your Own<\/h2>\n

What other football math calculations can you do?<\/p>\n