So it seems that there maybe some unfairness involved in athletics track design. Perhaps left handers are disadvantaged by having to run counterclockwise.
A figure-of-eight track would be possible but would lead to collisions with lapped runners (or if using an overpass, questions about the effects of uphill vs downhill).
Today’s invention is a way to even up any such imbalance.
Since running around circular curves at constant speed requires, according to simple Physics, no expenditure of work beyond overcoming friction in the direction of motion, I’ve assumed that there is no difference between running bends of differing radius.
The problem of fair track design thus becomes one of ensuring equal total stretches of left- and right-handedness.
The shape above provides this, together with straight sections for sprint events.
Love the idea, but as an athletics fan, the radius is really important in events below say 800m.
The figure of 8 is fabulous solution and marshalls would be able to give priority to the those about to ‘half-lap’ back markers. the back markers may even just be expected to drop out.
This is managed even in formula one, the back markers get a waved blue flag and they have to cede to the leaders.
Cheers
S
Thanks for this. I’m always slightly surprised that flagwaving is still used in F1 -a sport so dominated by high-tech.
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