Here is a nice collection of NRICH activities related to sport, ideal for the English sporty summer of 2012.You can also find lots of lovely activities on the sport.maths.org pages.
Remember that our stages roughly refer to the English Key Stages in which the mathematical content is likely to be found and the number of stars indicate how difficult is is likely to be to get into the problem. All our problems are likely to contain enough depth to satisfy the most enthusiastic problem solvers!
Who's the Winner?
Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level
When two closely matched teams play each other, what is the most likely result?
Medal Muddle
Age 11 to 14
Challenge Level
Countries from across the world competed in a sports tournament. Can you devise an efficient strategy to work out the order in which they finished?
Olympic Records
Age 11 to 14
Challenge Level
Can you deduce which Olympic athletics events are represented by the graphs?
Olympic Measures
Age 11 to 14
Challenge Level
These Olympic quantities have been jumbled up! Can you put them back together again?
Speed-time Problems at the Olympics
Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to race against Usain Bolt?
The Olympic Torch Tour
Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level
Imagine you had to plan the tour for the Olympic Torch. Is there an efficient way of choosing the shortest possible route?
Olympic Triathlon
Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level
Is it the fastest swimmer, the fastest runner or the fastest cyclist who wins the Olympic Triathlon?
The Fastest Cyclist
Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level
Andy is desperate to reach John o'Groats first. Can you devise a winning race plan?
Track Design
Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level
Where should runners start the 200m race so that they have all run the same distance by the finish?
Training Schedule
Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level
The heptathlon is an athletics competition consisting of 7 events. Can you make sense of the scoring system in order to advise a heptathlete on the best way to reach her target?
Nutrition and Cycling
Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level
Andy wants to cycle from Land's End to John o'Groats. Will he be able to eat enough to keep him going?
Olympic Logic
Age 11 to 16
Challenge Level
Can you use your powers of logic and deduction to work out the missing information in these sporty situations?
Who's the Best?
Age 11 to 14
Challenge Level
Which countries have the most naturally athletic populations?
Performing Beyond Expectations - Using Sport to Motivate Students in Mathematics Lessons
Age 7 to 16
In this article, Alan Parr shares his experiences of the motivating effect sport can have on the learning of mathematics.
Little Little G
Age 16 to 18
Challenge Level
See how little g and your weight varies around the world. Did this variation help Bob Beamon to long-jumping succes in 1968?
Angle of Shot
Age 16 to 18
Challenge Level
At what angle should you release the shot to break Olympic records?
10 Olympic Starters
Age 16 to 18
Challenge Level
10 intriguing starters related to the mechanics of sport.
High Jumping
Age 14 to 18
How high can a high jumper jump? How can a high jumper jump higher without jumping higher? Read on...
Stadium Sightline
Age 14 to 18
Challenge Level
How would you design the tiering of seats in a stadium so that all spectators have a good view?
What's the Point of Squash?
Age 14 to 18
Challenge Level
Under which circumstances would you choose to play to 10 points in a game of squash which is currently tied at 8-all?
Alternative Record Book
Age 14 to 18
Challenge Level
In which Olympic event does a human travel fastest? Decide which events to include in your Alternative Record Book.
Decathlon: the Art of Scoring Points
Age 14 to 18
How do decisions about scoring affect who wins a combined event such as the decathlon?
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.