mathematics in sport

The way many football leagues schedule their fixtures can lead to unfair effects — and unsolved maths problems!

From making penalties fairer and taking the perfect free kick, to designing an ideal ball and predicting results using an octopus, it's all there in our collection of football articles. Take your pick!

Is the proposed ABBA rule for penalty shootouts really fairer than the existing rule? Maths shows that it is, and also suggests another, more subtle rule.

Engineer Paul Shepherd explains the famous arch and drops some eggs.

To join in the excitement of the world athletics championships, we bring you some articles, a puzzle, and a little something on infectious diseases.

Fill those gaps between matches, and the tennis vacuum that will ensue after Wimbledon, with some tennis maths!

Simone Biles stunned audiences at the 2016 Olympics with a move that appeared to defy gravity. Did it really? Two sports scientists explain the physics of the Biles.

Here's a selection of our favourite articles on Olympic maths — from dressage, via ping pong, to athletics.

England may have bombed out, but the Euro 2016 Championships are still in full swing. Here are some articles by our favourite football expert, Ken Bray

To celebrate Wimbledon, here are some of our best tennis articles and puzzles!

What's the best spot to aim a penalty at?

Marcus du Sautoy talks about football, cryptography, and numbers.