Science of NHL Hockey - Science360 - The Knowledge Network

Science of NHL Hockey

The National Science Foundation, in partnership with NBC Learn and NBC Sports and the National Hockey League, explore the science and math behind professional hockey.

This 10-part video series exploring the science behind the fastest game on ice is made especially for students and teachers to use in the classroom, the videos will be aligned to lesson plans and national state education standards, and are available to the public cost-free on NBCLearn.com and NBCSports.com.

Hockey Geometry
Players in every position of the game are constantly using geometry to make passes and take shots on goal

Reflexes & Reaction Time

NHL goalies rely upon the unconscious decisions made by their reflexes to prevent opponents from scoring

Work, Energy & Power

In hockey, the slapshot is one of the most dramatic demonstrations of the transference of force and energy

Force, Impulse & Collisions
During a game, every movement of the puck follows the laws of physics and illustrates the concepts of force, impulse and collisions

Vectors
Hockey is a game of chaos, but vectors are behind the scenes making sense of that chaos through mathematics

Statistics & Averages
Understanding the opposing team's stats and averages is one method of mentally preparing for a hockey game

Projectile Motion
Projectile motion allows hockey players to shoot the puck with a high rate of precision

Newton's Three Laws Of Motion

Newton's Three Laws of Motion apply to every single movement in the sport of hockey

Mass, Volume & Density
Hockey takes advantage of one of the most interesting substances in the universe, water

Kinematics
Kinematics helps describe a player's movement across the ice by defining his position, velocity and acceleration