Rugby and Mathematics: A Surprising Link among Geometry, the Conics, and Calculus

Abstract

As mathematics teachers, we are always on the lookout for motivational applications for the mathematics that we teach. Applications are especially useful if they help students make connections among the various topics of mathematics and can be used by students at several different levels. While thumbing through The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Geometry, by David Wells (1991), we ran across an entry that led to a very interesting discovery

Using The History Of Calculus As An Aid For Teaching A Dynamics Course

“…1,2 Frequently the teacher introduces these problems by using Geometry. 3,4,5 This approach is sometimes very useful, however its scope is rather limited to some very specific applications. Geometry alone cannot represent the importance of Calculus in the development of Science and Technology.…”