Related papers: What really are the best 100m performances?
The 100m world rankings of the 1997 outdoor track and field competition season are reviewed, subject to corrections for wind effects and atmospheric drag. The rankings and times are compared with those of 1996, and the improvements of each…
It is well known that ``equivalent'' sprint race times run with different accompanying wind speeds or at different altitudes are anything but equivalent races. The drag force acting on a sprinter is a function of air density and the…
A quasi-physical model (having both physical and mathematical roots) of sprint performances is presented, accounting for the influence of drag modification via wind and altitude variations. The race time corrections for both men and women…
A numerical model of 100 m and 200 m world class sprinting performances is modified using standard hydrodynamic principles to include effects of air temperature, pressure, and humidity levels on aerodynamic drag. The magnitude of the…
In a previous article (physics/9705004), the best 100m performances in track and field were determined by accounting for wind effects and atmospheric drag. In this report, I seek to ascertain what was the "fastest" 100m final through a…
A simple algebraic expression is presented to correct men's and women's 100 metre sprint times for ambient wind and altitude effects. The simplified formula is derived from a more complicated equation of motion used to model the athlete's…
Based on a mathematical simulation which reproduces accurate split and velocity profiles for the 100 and 200 metre sprints, the magnitudes of altitude and mixed wind/altitude-assisted performances as compared to their sea-level equivalents…
Many university texts on Mechanics deal with the problem of the effect of the air drag force, using as example the slowing down of a parachute. Hardly no one discuss what happens when the drag force is proportional to both $u$ and $u^2$. In…
We present a new way of estimation of the role of chance in achieving success, by comparing the empirical data from 100-meter dash competitions (one of the sports disciplines with the most stringent controls of external randomness), with…
In the wake of numerous injuries and Donovan Bailey's media-stamped "sub-par" 100m victory of 10.03s at the 1997 Canadian Track and Field Championships, a medal hope at the 1997 World Championships seems grim for the Olympic Champion and…
The aim of this paper is to bring a mathematical justification to the optimal way of organizing one's effort when running. It is well known from physiologists that all running exercises of duration less than 3mn are run with a strong…
Many time-trial and triathlon bicycle races take place on relatively flat, closed-circuit courses. In the absence of hills, riding-speed is limited almost solely by aerodynamic drag; consequently, winds can have a big effect on elapsed…
Drafting as a process to reduce drag and to benefit from the presence of other competitors is applied in various sports with several recent examples of competitive running in formations. In this study, the aerodynamics of a realistic model…
Our aim is to present a new model which encompasses pace optimization and motor control effort for a runner on a fixed distance. We see that for long races, the long term behaviour is well approximated by a turnpike problem. We provide…
Track and field world records have risen and fallen throughout the history of the sport. A recent rash of record-breaking performances has prompted the question: "How good can we get?". This article offers a review of several attempts to…
Human movements are physical processes combining the classical mechanics of the human body moving in space and the biomechanics of the muscles generating the forces acting on the body under sophisticated sensory-motor control. The…
Efficient swimming at low Reynolds numbers is a major concern of microbots. To compare the efficiencies of different swimmers we introduce the notion of ``swimming drag coefficient'' which allows for the ranking of swimmers. We find the…
Starting from basic physical principles, we present a novel derivation linking the global wind power to measurable atmospheric parameters. The resulting expression distinguishes three components of the atmospheric power (the kinetic power…
In order to determine the optimal strategy to run a race on a curved track according to the lane number, we introduce a model based on differential equations for the velocity, the propulsive force and the anaerobic energy which takes into…
In each rowing sport, the oars have their very own characteristics most of the time selected through a long time experience. Here we address experimentally and theoretically the problem of rowing efficiency as function of row lengths and…