1. Are the objective and introduction written in an engaging way? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 2. Is the difficulty level accurate? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 3. Were the materials easily obtained? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 4. Was the procedure clear? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 5. Were all safety measures included? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 6. Did you obtain clear, unambiguous results? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 7. How much time did you spend on the project? Choose One... A day or less Several days About one week A couple weeks Several weeks to months 8. How much did the project cost? Choose One... Less than $20 $20 - $50 $50 - $100 $100 - $150 $150+ Optional:  Do you have any suggestions to improve this project? characters left Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! Abstract What makes a winning team? Getting all the best players? Good coaches? Good chemistry? This project will show you how you can use math to help you test your hypothesis about what makes a winning team. Objective The objective of this project is to determine why teams win many more or fewer games than they're expected to based on runs/goals/points scored and allowed. Introduction The Pythagorean relationship is a fundamental one in sports: it correctly predicts the records of 98% of all teams. But in 2% of cases, it fails. Why does it fail? Terms, Concepts, and Questions to Start Background Research Pythagorean Relationship, Bill James Experimental Procedure Find teams that deviated substantially from their expected Pythagorean record (this information is available for baseball teams on www.baseball-reference.com). Then look at their situational statistics (this information is available on ESPN.com) and determine what they did that resulted in more or fewer wins than they otherwise should have had. Determine what the teams have in common. Variations For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Pure Mathematics Project Ideas. Credits Gabriel Desjardins Last edit date: 2005-08-31 15:04:24

I Did This Project! Tell us about your experience with this science project. What was the most important thing you learned? characters left What problems did you encounter? (Enter "none" if you had none.) characters left Can you suggest any improvements or ideas? (Enter "no" if you have none.) characters left How do you rate this project? Poor OK Good Very Good Excellent Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! Related Links Science Fair Project Guide Project Summary Difficulty  8  Time required Average (about one week) Prerequisites Basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel and statistics Material Availability Readily Available Cost Very Low (under $20) Share this Project Idea! Donate to Science Buddies Sponsor Sponsored by a generous grant from Motorola Solutions Foundation Motorola Solutions Foundation sponsors Summer Science Camp Resource Summer Science Camp Resource

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