Applications in Calculus: Football

Research/Problem: I started my research for this portion of the project very generally. I

looked further into the applications of calculus in sports and I spent time researching the

sport of football. From here I determined that either a problem involving the concept of

the mean value theorem or a problem involving the concepts of optimization would be

most applicable. To begin my research specific to these topics, I took general notes that

I would go on to base my work off throughout the next few weeks. I watched a total of 6

AP Classroom videos put out by the college board. After these videos and reviewing old

notes from the first semester, I decided I would be creating and solving an optimization

problem with the goal to minimize the time it takes for the ball to get into the end zone.

Before actually writing the problem, I continue my research in other areas. I spent

one class looking at other math problems writing about football. I did this to get a better

understanding of what mine should look like. I also spent some time researching the

speed of throw football and the average speed of an NFL wide receiver. These values

were important to include in my problem and were needed in the solution.

After this research, I spent time looking for photos to represent the situation I was

trying to replicate. I saved over fifteen photos of NFL games. Each photo was different.

Some were from a bird's eye view and others were eye level. I narrowed the photos

down and selected the one that could best represent the optimization problem. I drew

over the photo using Notability to add lines representing the mathematical applications

of the given situation. I then labeled variables and identified rates of change that I had

previously spent time researching.

 After drawing my diagram and once I had gathered all of the needed information, I

was able to begin writing the problem statement. Since I am a fan of the New England

Patriots, I based the problem off of players that were on their winning teams. Combining

the speed of the players, speed of a throw ball and specific player I was able to develop

a problem that could be solved to show the process of minimizing the time taken on a

singular play. The problem can be seen below.

“The New England Patriots are playing a regular season NFL game against the New

York Jets. In order to win the game, the Patriots need a touchdown. The ball is at the 30

yard line and Tom Brady is looking to win the game by getting the ball to the right corner

of the endzone. Julian Edelman is on the line of scrimmage, parallel to Tom Brady on

the right hand side of the ball. When sprinting, Edelman moves at an average rate of 15

mph. Tom Brady throws the ball at an average rate of 5o mph. To minimize the time it

takes to get into the end zone, how far should Edelman sprint before looking to catch a

pass from Brady?”

Solution: To solve this problem, I followed a series of steps. The first step in this series

is to create a picture of the situation. Using the diagram I had initially created, I was able

to develop another picture that better represented the situation. I drew one picture and

labeled the variables and then I drew the same picture on a football field to help

understand the problem in this context. The next step in the series is to state the goal of

the optimization problem. The goal in this problem was to minimize time. This was

identified within the problem. Step three is to create an equation. I started this step
simply by stating the equation in words [time to score= time to run + time to throw]

before transitioning into rates [T.T.= (distance run/run rate) + (distance throw/rate throw)]

and then to numbers [T.T.= ((x^2 + 10)^½ / 15) + ((30-x) / 50)]. After obtaining the

correct equation in numbers, I simplified. In step four of this series, I used the simplified

equation in part three, and I took the derivative. I ended this step with this equation: T.T.’

=( 2x/30(x^2 +10)^-½ ) - 1/50. Next, I moved to step five where I set the equation to

zero. We do this to find the critical values. I found x=(90/91)^½ or about 0.9945. I then

took this value and inputted it into a table. In step six, I used the candidates test to find

the minimum time it took to get the ball in the endzone. I set up a candidates test table

and had x values of 0, 0.9945, and 30. X=0 represents a distance of 0 yards run.

X=0.9945 represents a distance of 0.9945 yards run. X=30 represents a distance of 30

yards run. In order to find the corresponding times with these candidates, I plugged

them back into the original equation [T.T.= ((x^2 + 10)^½ / 15) + ((30-x) / 50)]. When

X=0, time equals 0.8108. When X=0.9945, time equals 0.8011. When X=30, time equals

2.011. Since the goal of the problem is to minimize time, I looked for the lowest value for

time in the table for the candidates test. I identified the shortest time to be when the ball

is run 0 years. This means, in order to get the ball into the endzone in the shortest

amount of time, it must be thrown from point a to point b. These variables can be seen

in my picture from step one. In step seven, I identified the minimum value and made a

conclusion.

Importance: By showing the steps followed to solve an optimization problem, this

example of a real world application can be used as a reference for other students.

Whether other problems have goals of minimizing distance or materials, the steps
remain the same. Minimizing time used on a play in a football game can be very

important to players, especially in those last few minutes of the game. Knowing what

players are more effective and speed could ultimately help teams to score points and

win games.

If a team wanted to generate a playbook of plays that took the least time, they

could work to minimize the time using the speed at which their quarterback throws the

ball, the speed at which their receivers run, and the distance in a given situation. These

values combined will highlight the most effective plays to run when the time clock is low

and the game is on the line.