The Football: The Amazing Mathematics of the World's Most Watched Object
Language: English
Published by Princeton University Press, 2025
- Hardcover
- New
Seller: Lakeside Books, Benton Harbor, MI, U.S.A.Lakeside Books
AbeBooks seller since April 6, 2017
Condition: New
£ 10.26
Quantity: Over 20 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Seller Inventory # OTF-S-9780691263120
- Title
- The Football: The Amazing Mathematics of the World's Most Watched Object
- Author
- Ghys, Étienne
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Publication year
- 2025
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0691263124
- ISBN 13
- 9780691263120
- Seller catalogs
- 0, VCF
An illustration-packed dive into the geometry, engineering, and physics of soccer balls
The Football takes readers on an entertaining and fact-filled exploration of the mathematical secrets of the most popular spherical object on the planet. The football is familiar to billions of fans across the globe, but how many really look at it? Do footballs all have the same shape? Spoiler: not exactly. How does their shape affect how they play? With Étienne Ghys as our guide, we discover why ballistics, friction, and air flow are key to scoring goals―and why the football is a mathematical problem that engineers are still trying to solve.
Ghys begins with the classic Telstar ball used in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Its twelve black pentagons and twenty white hexagons are what most of us picture when we think of the sport. Following the story through successive World Cups, he shows how engineers constantly challenge themselves to reinvent the ball, aiming for a perfect sphere while accounting for manufacturing requirements and aerodynamics. Along the way, Ghys introduces us to the mathematics of Platonic solids, symmetries, polyhedra, turbulence, roughness, drag, and spin. He paints engaging portraits of the engineers and sports insiders who study and apply these phenomena and explains how the skills of players factor into how the ball behaves, whether the game is being played in stadiums, schoolyards, or backyards.
Featuring a wealth of color illustrations, The Football blends a lively narrative with insights from a world-renowned geometer to tell a mathematical story unlike any other.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Lakeside Books
Benton Harbor, MI, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since April 6, 2017
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 4 to 14 business days | 2 to 7 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 2.95 | £ 9.61 |
Payment methods
Specialty
New and UsedSeller's business information
Ambis Enterprises LLC
3247 Territorial Rd
Benton Harbor, MI U.S.A. 49022
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Lakeside Books, Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S.A., +1 2699258339, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.