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The Physics of the World's Fastest Man

Posted by Unknown on from the robotic-legs dept.

cylonlover writes "The Honourable Usain Bolt (Order of Jamaica; Commander of the Order of Distinction) is often held out as the world's fastest man. The reigning Olympic champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints as well as a member of the Olympic champion 4x100 meter relay team, Bolt is the first man to win six Olympic gold medals in sprinting, and is a five-time world champion. Long and lanky at 6 ft 5 in (2 m) tall, he towers above the (mostly) much shorter sprinters. How has he managed to come out on top for the past five years? A team of physicists from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) has analyzed Bolt's past performances in the 100-meter sprint to understand what makes a record-breaker."

28 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. worlds fastest women mad at him? by peter303 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nothing makes you run faster than fleeing.

    1. Re:worlds fastest women mad at him? by arth1 · · Score: 2

      Except, of course, vehicles
      To my knowledge, Andy Green is still the fastest man on Earth, and Stafford, Young and Cernan the fastest overall.

  2. need biochemists by KernelMuncher · · Score: 5, Interesting

    To analyze why Bolt is the fastest man, instead of a team of physicists they should hire a team of biochemists. Who wants to bet Bolt is entirely clean of steroids ?

    [ Note that Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, two top Jamaican sprinters, both recently tested positive for banned stimulants. ]

    1. Re:need biochemists by h4rr4r · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Why is this a big deal?

      If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying. I just wish we would be totally open about it. Since we can probably assume all the runners are at least trying to do something like that, we can just ignore it.

      This is like trying to find a winner for the tour de france that was not doping in some form, good luck. That sport is more properly referred to as cheating on two wheels.

    2. Re:need biochemists by Viol8 · · Score: 2

      The problem is if you make sport a performance drugs free for all then people are going to overdose and kill themselves. Its better the way it is.

    3. Re:need biochemists by Vegan+Cyclist · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, keep in mind there are also athletes who want to push their natural limits without PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) - this doesn't really leave them many opportunities (i'm from the cycling world, and have read heartbreaking stories of racers who opted out of doping to the ruin of their career, while dopers profit...)

      There are other factors too, such as 'safe' limits for doping products. Everyone's going to want to push it even more of course... I'm in favor of clean sport.

    4. Re:need biochemists by smooth+wombat · · Score: 2

      people are going to overdose and kill themselves.

      And the problem with this is. . . ?

      --
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    5. Re:need biochemists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying

      That's a non sequitur. "Trying" is about enhancing your performance through practice, training, technology, drugs, etc. "Cheating" is about being a fraud, lying, and claiming accomplishments that you haven't performed.

      "Trying" is what advances the human race. "Cheating" is what holds us back. If you are going to break the rules, then break them, but be honest about it.

    6. Re:need biochemists by Kielistic · · Score: 3, Informative

      Worse than that. It will practically be a requirement to overdose and kill yourself to be competitive.

    7. Re:need biochemists by erice · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Worse than that. It will practically be a requirement to overdose and kill yourself to be competitive.

      Indeed. In racing, any advantage that is not forbidden is mandatory.

      So, if you eliminate rules prohibiting doping then all competitive athletes will have to max out on drugs, steroids, and red blood cell enhancements. "Max" will be whatever allows the most performance while still allowing the athlete the stay alive long enough to finish the race. Some will go over. The rest won't live much past their time in the spot light.

    8. Re:need biochemists by quantaman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I certainly wouldn't be shocked if Bolt was doping but he's the one champion from the traditionally dirty sports where I actually think he could be clean.

      Basically Bolt is a freak, he has a physique that is obviously different from other elite sprinters. If his a-typical physiology is inferior I don't see how he could dope enough to achieve the dominance he has. And if his physiology is superior then we don't understand the scale of the physiological advantage well enough to know that he'd need drugs.

      It's like when the Kenyans showed up on the distance running scene. If there were drugs the Europeans were taking they didn't make a difference, the Kenyans had an entirely different body type which gave them an advantage that drugs couldn't match.

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    9. Re:need biochemists by umghhh · · Score: 2

      I actually do not see a major problem with that. I do not see any benefit of having professional athletes anyway. The olympic ideals are all overdue.The countries that control better do not get medals at Olympic Games. This is as simple as that. If one accepts this as entertainment then all is ok. The only problem is the actual sports fans that do the sports for fun and to get better. Come to think of it this way you can have two venues - ones with sexed up entertainment agents and the other ones where hard work and talent is all that is allowed. I am afraid you would have to still transfer some funds from one to support the controls in another and I guess that is a real problem.

    10. Re:need biochemists by jkflying · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What we really need is two competitions: one with as much doping as you think your body can take, and another which is as strict as possible. That way we still have the 'pure human' competition, but we can also see crazy muscleheads with no testicles getting into full rage mode on the uphills.

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    11. Re:need biochemists by hawkinspeter · · Score: 2

      It can hardly be worth restricting your caffeine-blood level like that just to be allowed to compete. Guess I'll never be a sprinter.

      --
      You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
    12. Re:need biochemists by Kielistic · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You don't see any problem with people killing themselves because they were told their entire life by their coach, parents etc. that winning X was the single most important thing?

      You don't like professional sports (not that I blame you) but some people do. Should they have to throw their lives away just so they can participate?

      To make it a little more personal to you what if the government decided it was okay for corporations to choose their employees based on their willingness to take performance enhancing drugs? And I'm not talking about caffeine here; I mean the real powerful ones that are illegal. A lot of corporations won't care that they turn you into a slobbering vegetable in 5 years- they got what they wanted from you. But in those 5 years many other companies have had to introduce similar rules to stay competitive. Now you can't get into your chosen profession unless you are willing to take the very real risk that you will ruin your life doing it. Is that fair?

  3. He's certainly the best for by ackthpt · · Score: 2

    The 44,183.2722 & 88,366.5444 potrzebie sprints.

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  4. Bolt? by Andrio · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'd probably be that fast too if I had "Bolt" in my name.

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  5. Re:The true max human 100m time is probably higher by OhSoLaMeow · · Score: 3, Informative

    More likely because of the spikes on track shoes that give runners a lot more traction, which is especially useful when accelerating at the start.

    And in high school while running track, I found out the hard way that spikes are also great at increasing your deceleration.

    --
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  6. Re:The true max human 100m time is probably higher by Shetan · · Score: 5, Informative

    IAAF Competition Rules, Rule 143

    Shoes
    2. Athletes may compete barefoot or with footwear on one or both feet.
    The purpose of shoes for competition is to give protection and
    stability to the feet and a firm grip on the ground. Such shoes,
    however, must not be constructed so as to give an athlete any unfair
    additional assistance, including by the incorporation of any
    technology which will give the wearer any unfair advantage. A shoe
    strap over the instep is permitted. All types of competition shoes must
    be approved by IAAF.

  7. Re:The true max human 100m time is probably higher by cdrudge · · Score: 3, Informative

    Right. And a speed skater is more efficient than someone who is sliding on bare feet. The bow makes the archer much more skilled then just trying to throw the arrow with their bare hands. And don't even get me started about the new Trampoline sport...I think they should have to do all those moves with just jumping with their legs.

  8. Re:Eat lots of jerk chicken mon by coldsalmon · · Score: 4, Funny

    This also worked for the fattest man in the world.

  9. Re:The true max human 100m time is probably higher by Ol+Biscuitbarrel · · Score: 2

    And don't even get me started about the new Trampoline sport...

    What, have they finally gotten around to building courts for playing Kosho?

    Be seeing you.

  10. different kind of news for nerds by bazorg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You know what I'd love Usain Bolt to do? Or if not him, another top sprinter like him? While in their prime years, take a couple of seasons off and not participate in competition. Then announce he's going to take performance enhancing drugs just to see just how much faster it would be possible to run if it were not for sports rules.

    1. Re:different kind of news for nerds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Plenty of major athletes can juggle their time even better than this. They take performance-enhancing drugs _and_ compete in major competitions!

  11. Re:The true max human 100m time is probably higher by arth1 · · Score: 5, Informative

    feet fingers

    We call those toes. Well, my family does, at least.

  12. There is no physics involved by ArcadeMan · · Score: 2

    The guy is simply pushing himself so hard he's almost escaping The Matrix.

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  13. Re:Definition of "World's Fastest Man"? by dimeglio · · Score: 2

    The way I see it, that would be the fastest man-powered vehicle but I see your point.

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  14. Re:The true max human 100m time is probably higher by edxwelch · · Score: 2

    I call fingers "hand toes". People think I'm wierd.