Chapter 1.4, Problem 98E

Field goal attempt Near the end of the 1950 Rose Bowl football game between the University of California and Ohio State University. Ohio State was preparing to attempt a field goal from a distance of 23 yd from the endline at point A on the edge of the kicking region (see figure). But before the kick. Ohio State committed a penalty and the ball was backed up 5 yd to point B on the edge of the kicking region. After the game, the Ohio State coach claimed that his team deliberately committed a penalty to improve the kicking angle. Given that a successful kick must go between the uprights of the goal posts G₁ and G₂, is ∠G₁BG₂ greater than ∠G₁AG₂? (In 1950, the uprights were 23 ft 4 in apart, equidistant from the origin on the end line. The boundaries of the kicking region are 53 ft 4 in apart and are equidistant from the y-axis. (Source: The College Mathematics Journal 27, 4, Sep 1996)