19 - Teaching Mathematics and Statistics Using Tennis

Summary

Abstract

The widespread interest in sports in our culture provides a great opportunity to catch students' attention in mathematics and statistics classes. Many students whose eyes glaze over after few minutes of algebra will happily spend hours analyzing their favorite sport. As their teachers we may use this to enhance our teaching of mathematical and statistical concepts. Fortunately, many sports lend themselves to this. This article analyzes a tennis match with a view towards its use as an aid for teaching mathematical and statistical concepts. It shows that through sports students can be exposed to the basics of mathematical modeling and statistical reasoning using material that interests them. For those who plan to become mathematics teachers, in high school or college, it provides a source of material that could enrich their teaching. It has been my experience that using sports in the classroom increases students' interest in mathematics and statistics and the public's interest in university activities.

Introduction

The difficulties faced by educators teaching mathematics and statistics are well known. To help, many textbooks try to motivate students by introducing varied applications. This addresses both students' desire to see the relevance of their studies to the outside world and also their skepticism about whether mathematics and statistics have any value. This idea works mostly with students who are committed to a particular academic or career field. For typical students, applied examples may fail to motivate if they are not of immediate concern to them or they do not occur in their daily lives.