The Physics of Hockey [Hardcover]

Alain Haché (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2002

What do Wayne Gretzky and thermodynamics have in common? A lot more than you might think. The game the National Hockey League calls " the coolest game on earth" is also a fast-paced, dynamic display of physics in action.

In The Physics of Hockey, physicist and amateur hockey player Alain Haché examines some of the physical principles behind the world's most popular winter team sport. What makes ice so slippery you can skate on it? How can you skate backwards most rapidly? How can physics improve your slapshot? Why do some collisions cause injuries but not others? How does a Zamboni work? And how do you prepare a pure, smooth ice surface in Dallas when it's 90 degrees outside and there are twenty thousand people inside?

This is physics by a hockey fan for the hockey fan. Haché investigates the properties of the ice surface, the science of skating and of skates, the odds of winning and losing streaks, and the principles behind shooting, hitting, and goaltending. Touching on topics such as solid-state physics, statistical physics elasticity, probability, thermodynamics, and mechanics, Haché uses science to enhance our appreciation and understanding of the game. The book is illustrated with photos and graphs and punctuated with anecdotes to show how famous players, past and present, are really physicists on skates.

A thought-provoking, fun, and gentle introduction to some basic issues in physics, The Physics of Hockey is a truly unique book worthy of the shelf of every hockey fan and physics enthusiast.

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

Haché brings to this informative study the perspective of a physicist (he is assistant professor of physics at the University of Moncton in New Brunswick, Canada) and amateur hockey player (goalie). He stints on neither the physics, which he presents clearly, nor the hockey, making the reader feel like going to a game. Hockey, he says, perhaps involves more physics than any other sport. "Because it is played on ice, we need to take into account elements of thermodynamics and molecular physics. Skating makes use of a great deal of mechanics, as does shooting. Puck trajectories are influenced by air drag and ice friction, which involve fluid dynamics. And because hockey is a contact sport, the physics of collisions is also part of the game." After chapters on the ice and aspects of play, Haché considers the game as a whole and offers a betting tip: "Bet on the team that is in the middle of a losing streak (or against the team that seems to be on a roll)."

Editors of Scientific American

Review

Haché brings to this informative study the perspective of a physicist and amateur hockey player (goalie). He stints on neither the physics, which he presents clearly, nor the hockey, making the reader feel like going to a game.

(Scientific American 2004)

Intriguing... Haché is a physics professor and an amateur hockey player who combines his two passions in this book, which uses hockey to explain various aspects of physics, from thermodynamics to fluid dynamics.

(Publishers Weekly 2003)

A book that will amuse and delight hockey lovers... Physical concepts are covered at a level that the average first year physics student would readily grasp. This book is highly recommended recreational reading for anyone with an inclination toward physics and an interest in the game.

(Tim Bach The Physicist (Australia) 2007)

The Physics of Hockey opened my eyes to a whole new way of viewing and understanding the game I love. It is pure entertainment, cover to cover. Who would have guessed physics could be so much fun?

(Mike Brophy The Hockey News )

An incredibly well-written and very approachable book... For chemists in the audience..., there are several discussions laced throughout the text that border more on materials science than physics.

(Randall C. Willis Today's Chemist at Work )

Enjoyable to read... All aspects of the game are investigated and the mathematics are easy to follow.

(Physics Teacher )

Many high school students will learn good science, and any reader will learn more about the game.

(Choice )

A great book and well worth buying a copy.

(Calvin S. Kalman Physics Teacher )

Well-written, scientifically interesting, and pitched at a level that will appeal to both the literate high school student and the professional scientist. Even hockey coaches might read it!

(Paul J. Nahin, University of New Hampshire )

This is a book every hockey player needs and every hockey fan will love. Well written, complete and thoroughly enjoyable, it's a book you won't want to pass up.

(Barry Parker, author of Einstein's Brainchild and Chaos in the Cosmos )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (October 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801870712
• ISBN-13: 978-0801870712
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INSIDE HOCKEY Book Review, May 7, 2003

By 

Kevin M. Greenstein (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Physics of Hockey (Hardcover)

Alain Haché's The Physics of Hockey an extremely interesting book. As fans, we watch NHL players do some pretty incredible things, but don't really understand how they do them. Mr Haché uses his tremendous knowledge of physics to explain "how hockey happens".

The book explains just about every imaginable aspect of ice hockey. It explains how the ice rink is created and maintained. It tells us why players skate the way they do, why goalies move the way they do, why the players manipulate their sticks in certain ways, why the bodily protection is needed and how it works and how the game generally proceeds.

Haché's style is quite readable, though the idea of applying physics to hockey seems on the surface to be dry. He clearly loves the game and that comes through in his writing. He is both a scientist and a player, and he skillfully combines both of these talents in one very well-written volume.

For a scientist the book is much more meaningful; however, the book has plenty to offer for non-technical hockey fans. The book mixes very technical analyses and diagrams demonstrating physical principles with very down-to-earth prose that general hockey fans should gain a lot from and really enjoy.

The book's one flaw is the way in which the content was organized. The book starts off with a lot of scientific content before moving into the down-to-earth, non-technical prose. In fact, the first topic treated, the physics of the ice itself, is so esoteric, that even I, an engineer, was almost discouraged from moving past it. I was glad I made it through.

If there's a second edition, I suggest that Haché revise the structure of the book. He should write a version that deals with the physics in a way that demonstrates principles without detailed equations and diagrams. Then he should complete each chapter or section with his more technical treatment of each topic, which the non-technical person can bypass without really losing anything in the translation.

The physics is mainly what is called "mechanics". It involves the forces on skates that propel the players and the effects of friction with the ice. It also explains the movement of a puck, both sliding on ice and soaring through the air, and the impact of players on each other or on the boards in body contact. Haché also discusses ice quality and how it affects the play, and how the design of hockey skates achieves maximum usefulness. We also learn how figure skates and speed skates differ from hockey skates.

The difficulty of getting a puck past a goalie is explained in diagrams showing the effective open area of the net, why a goalie moves as he does in order to minimize this area, and why his equipment is designed as it is. Lots of interesting statistics are presented, such as typical puck speeds, both in standard shooting and slap shots, skating speeds and acceleration rates, and sizes of hockey players as it affects their play. The explanation of how a Zamboni works and what ice maintenance is about in general is also extremely interesting.

The Physics of Hockey is an excellent book. Alain Haché's explanations are current (using many current NHL stars) and very interesting (most hockey fans really have no idea how everything happens on the ice from a scientific standpoint). This is a very engaging book for a technical person, but I think Haché missed an opportunity to achieve a broader appeal with a somewhat different organization of the material.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brillaintly Written, Fun Applied Science, January 23, 2003

By 

Mike Blaszczak (Mercer Island, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Physics of Hockey (Hardcover)

If you like ice hockey and got a B or better in high school physics (and you remember how it happened), this book is a must-have.

Alain Haché is an amateur-league goalie, and a professional physicist. His book analyses all aspects of the game, from the coefficient of friction of ice at different temperatures to the effects of air and gravity on a flying puck after a slapshot.

The book includes references to hockey biographies, medical and physiological papers, and player technique books like "Speed on Skates".

Some reviewers might fault the book for not explaining hockey with only physics; the author uses statistics (to explain witing and losing streaks), and geometry (to explain why goalies come out of the net) in his analysis.

Haché's explanations are well written, and as far as I can tell, technically correct. The author is a student of the game and his reference for it is obvious. For the math hobbyist or amateur physicist who is also interested in hockey, this is a fantastic book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Awesome topic, awesome insights, but a little too much math, December 22, 2011

By 

Kevin - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Physics of Hockey (Hardcover)

The Physics of Hockey is a recommended read for anyone who plays and enjoys hockey, as I do, but wants to understand some of the underlying physical phenomena that goes on in the game. The Physics of Hockey satisfied my curiosity on several topics. For example, I really enjoyed learning the molecular makeup of ice surfaces, and why ice skates slide so frictionlessly on ice. The chapter on hockey winning statistics was also fun; one insight I learned is that professional hockey teams have average losing streaks that are shorter than predicted statistically. I was hoping for a little more explanation of the flex contribution of a stick to a good slapshot, but the subject was at least discussed.

My biggest issue with the book was that there was too much math and formulas for the average reader. I know that he opens the book by stating that the math was watered down, but I still think it was too heavy on the math. Most readers will have to gloss over these formulas. He does explain the CONSEQUENCES of the formulas, but not always clearly enough, in my opinion. In short, I wish the book was heavier on written explanation, and lighter on the formulas.

Still, I enjoyed reading the book, and any science-curious hockey player would probably enjoy it as well.