phil413th
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I like how you think about math and football in the offseason. I feel like you and me may have a lot in common sir
It's the off-season!!! What are you gonna do?
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I like how you think about math and football in the offseason. I feel like you and me may have a lot in common sir
if the tackler and the runner started at the same yard line, the tackler would never catch him. This question just been buggin me for a while.
if the tackler and the runner started at the same yard line, the tackler would never catch him.
Unless of course, his name is Malcolm Jenkins.
Ok so I had a question creep into my head the other day after consuming a few beers. Everyone knows that a potential tackler has a better shot at tackling a runner by taking an angle at the runner. But according to the Pythagorean Theorem that we all learned in fifth grade, the angle, C,(that the tackler is taking) is a longer distance than what the runner, B, would be taking. My question is how does it give the tackler a better chance at catching up if the distance he has to travel is greater than what the runner's is? I can't come up with an answer.
The Pythagorean Theorem applies to right triangles.
Why are you only addressing B, the opposite of C (which is the hypotenuse), but you fail to mention the adjacent side A?
To answer your question, it's simple. Perhaps C has greater speed than B?
I'd bet you'd get a good laugh.Try posting with the same thread title on a Falcons, Cowboys or Niners board and see what you get.
Bingo. Some good answers ... but speed was left out alot of the explanations. Without a difference in speed, you are not catching anyone.
Ok so I had a question creep into my head the other day after consuming a few beers. Everyone knows that a potential tackler has a better shot at tackling a runner by taking an angle at the runner. But according to the Pythagorean Theorem that we all learned in fifth grade, the angle, C,(that the tackler is taking) is a longer distance than what the runner, B, would be taking. My question is how does it give the tackler a better chance at catching up if the distance he has to travel is greater than what the runner's is? I can't come up with an answer.
Everyone here is wrong.
Geometry does enter into it. The key is that the defenders only take these angles when they are farther up the field than then runner. This is why it's not the pythagorean theorem.When the defender then turns downfield to run at the ballcarrier at an angle, he is not on the hypotenuse. The runner and the defender are both running at the same point downfield. In otherwords. they're both running on the "b" sides of this triangle: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/images/eps-gif/IsoscelesTriangle_800.gif
So, you have to take the "a" dashed line in that and turn it in your head so that it isn't pointing downfield. It's pointing slightly to the sideline.
So, they're now running the same distance before their paths meet.
Furthermore, if the defender is even farther up field, he can take a larger angle, and make it so that the runner is on the hypotenuse.
If the defender was on the same yardline as the runner, and then took an angle, then he is on the hypotenuse. Sometimes they have to do this - a safety should never be in this position - but it only works if the defender is faster than the runner. So, for instance, this will never work on AP. But sometimes they have no choice - it's still a better option than running straight at the defender.