Prob14 Olympic
Prob14 Olympic
Be sure to show all of your work and your reasoning. Consider all possibilities and explain each step in your method.
Refer to your rubric for all parts needed to achieve the maximum score. Be sure to follow the steps of problem
solving we used in the classroom:
Problem #14:
The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius." These three Latin words mean "Swifter, Higher,
Stronger."Speed skaters sure follow the Olympic motto! Men's speed skating was an event in the first
Winter Games in 1924. Women's speed skating became an evnt for the first time during the 1960 Games.
Here are some Gold Medal times for the 1500-meter speed skating event: NOTE: All times are expressed
in minutes : seconds . hundredths of a second.
MEN's WOMEN's
1924-
1924 Clas Thunberg (FIN) 02:20.8 1956 Event not held
Roald Aas (NOR) and
1960 Yevgeny Grishin (URS) 02:10.4 1960 Lydia Skoblikova (URS) 02:25.2
1980 Eric Heiden (USA) 01:55.4 1980 Annie Borckink (NED) 02:11.0
1998 Aadne Sondraal (NOR) 01:47.9 1998 Marianne Timmer (NED) 01:57.6
Unlike speed skaters, who skate against the clock, distance runners in the 1500-meter races of the Summer
Olympics compete in a group. They have to beat the athletes they're running against, which may lead to a
different mindset than trying for the best possible time. A World Record, however, is a good measure of
the fastest 1500-meter race on foot, so let's look at some of those results: NOTE: The earliest World
Records for women are from 1927.
MEN'S WOMEN'S
1924 Paavo Nurmi (FIN) 03:52.6 1927 Anna Muskina (URS) 05:18.2
1960 Herbert Elliott (AUS) 03:35.6 1960 Diane Leather (GBR) 04:29.7
1980 Steve Ovett (GBR) 03:32.1 1980 Tatyana Kazankina (URS) 03:55.0
a) Now imagine that these Olympians and World Record holders are skating or running in a school area at
their record speeds. Who might be arrested for excessive speed in a school zone if the posted speed limit is
30 km/hr?
b) Let's imagine the speed skater and runner from each year starting a race side by side. How far behind is
each runner when the skater crosses the finish line?