The Perfection Point: Sport Science Uncovers the Fastest Man, the Highest Jump, and the Limits of Athletic Performance - Hardcover

John Brenkus

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061845450 ISBN 13: 9780061845451

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2010

Synopsis

Until 1954, common wisdom and scientific knowledge considered a sub-four minute mile impossible for human physiology. And then Roger Bannister broke the mark, followed quickly by a host of other athletes. Today, the world record stands at 3 minutes 43 seconds. But even that number doesn't tell the full story of how fast humans can run a mile. While world records are a mark of how well people have done, they don't explain how well people can do - or what the absolute limits of human performance are. Now, in "The Perfection Point", John Brenkus, the host, creator, and executive producer of ESPN's "Sport Science", provides an in-depth look at the outer edge of what's possible for a variety of sports. In breezy, highly readable style and easy-to-comprehend language, Brenkus applies statistics, physics, and physiology to explore such questions as: What's the highest someone can dunk a basketball? What's the most weight someone can bench press? What's the farthest we can hit a baseball or drive a golf ball? What's the fastest a human can run 100 meters? Beginning with current world records, Brenkus seeks to find the limits of human ability to pinpoint the perfection point - a speed, a height, a distance that humans can get closer and closer to but never exceed. For years coaches, pundits and fans have speculated about the extremes of human performance. "The Perfection Point" finally provides the answers.

About this title

Review

"[Brenkus] busts out some Hawking-like equations in an effort to calculate the outer limits of human athletic performance."--New York Times Book Review

"This stuff is catnip to a sports fan."--The Week

Fascinating...Sure to spark debate in sporting and scientific circles, the book is engagingly written, well argued, and-even when the conclusions seem almost science-fictiony-entirely plausible. --Booklist (starred review)"

[Brenkus] busts out some Hawking-like equations in an effort to calculate the outer limits of human athletic performance. --New York Times Book Review"

This stuff is catnip to a sports fan. --The Week"

"Fascinating...Sure to spark debate in sporting and scientific circles, the book is engagingly written, well argued, and-even when the conclusions seem almost science-fictiony-entirely plausible."--Booklist (starred review)

Book Description

The fastest man, the highest jump, and the science behind the absolute limits of physical potential

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0061845450
• ISBN 13: 9780061845451
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288