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A biological limit
Let’s take the men’s 100m sprint as our example. Humans cannot run at, say, the speed of light, so there must be a limit to how fast it is possible to run.
The current world record for this event is 9.58 seconds, set by Usain Bolt in 2009. His average speed during this race was 10.43 m/s, with a top speed of 12.34 m/s. Were it possible for him to run at this speed for the entire 100 m (impossible because of the stationary start), Bolt could have completed the race in 8.10 seconds. Interestingly, in a 150 m race in 2009 Bolt ran the last 100 m in 8.70 seconds – a result of starting that last 100 m at speed.
Mathematicians and biologists have both tried to predict the fastest 100 m sprint possible, with varying results. A 2008 study (before current world record was set) used computer models and statistics to suggest a time of 9.48 seconds, mathematician Reza Noubary has suggested 9.44 s, and other researchers have suggested 9.45 seconds. These predictions are based on fitting a curve to the progression of the world record over time (check out this link for an explanation of the maths involved).
Let’s take the men’s 100m sprint as our example. Humans cannot run at, say, the speed of light, so there must be a limit to how fast it is possible to run.
The current world record for this event is 9.58 seconds, set by Usain Bolt in 2009. His average speed during this race was 10.43 m/s, with a top speed of 12.34 m/s. Were it possible for him to run at this speed for the entire 100 m (impossible because of the stationary start), Bolt could have completed the race in 8.10 seconds. Interestingly, in a 150 m race in 2009 Bolt ran the last 100 m in 8.70 seconds – a result of starting that last 100 m at speed.
Mathematicians and biologists have both tried to predict the fastest 100 m sprint possible, with varying results. A 2008 study (before current world record was set) used computer models and statistics to suggest a time of 9.48 seconds, mathematician Reza Noubary has suggested 9.44 s, and other researchers have suggested 9.45 seconds. These predictions are based on fitting a curve to the progression of the world record over time (check out this link for an explanation of the maths involved).
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