Running Efficiently

by Jacob Hensley

Submitted : Fall 2019

The overall goal of this project was to find the distance at which elite level athletes should be maintaining absolute top velocity and at which they should be at a constant acceleration. After calculating the velocity, acceleration, and speeds along Usain Bolts 100m world record ran in a time of 9.69 seconds, I saw that the max velocity was reached when Bolts acceleration was held at a constant. I broke down each interval of the race into 10m increments. By setting t₀ as our starting point and t_9.69 as the finish, I was able to calculate the exact moments at which a professional athlete should correctly be at peak velocity and how fast their acceleration must be to compete at an elite level.

[ Back ]