REFLECTING ON THE ACTIVITY
AND THE CHALLENGE

You know from measurements of your classmates' running that the person who travels the entire distance of a race in the least time wins. The winner also has the highest average speed for the overall race. You also know that the speed of each runner in your class changed during the run.

Search for patterns in the distances and times of men and women who hold records in the Penn Relays. Do the speeds vary with the distance of the events? What information could you give your school's track and field team about the Penn Relays right now? What further information do you need?

PHYSICS TO GO

1. a) Calculate the average speed of the male who holds the Penn Relays record for the 1,500-m run.

b) From the data you gathered, are there students in your class who can reach the same speed as the male 1,500-m record holder?

c) Do you think the fastest student in your class could run the 1,500 m in record time?

2. Calculate the average speeds of women who hold Penn Relays records in the 100-, 200-, 400-, and 1,500-m runs. What is the pattern of speeds?

3. Find some record times for your school's track team in running events and compare them with the Penn Relays' record times. Also compare the average speeds for races of equal distance for your school with those for the Penn Relays.

4. Is it fair to compare data for high school running events with data for world records? Why or why not?

5. How do the amounts of time taken by a champion 100-m runner to travel the first and last 50 m of a sprint compare? What is the basis for your answer?

6. Track coaches often measure "split times" for runners during races. For example, a runner's time might be measured every 100 m during a 400-m race. How could "splits" be useful for helping runners improve both speed and stamina?