Running for it | The Citadel

Cybermortis
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God of the Citadel

God of The Citadel

Posts: 4,680

Running for it Sept 18, 2014 23:19:01 GMT

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Post by Cybermortis on Sept 18, 2014 23:19:01 GMT

There was a claim a while back on BBC Radio, that I think I posted, claiming that a human could outrun a horse in a marathon.

Got me thinking about running myths, such as the old story about the tortoise and the hare. The idea there being that 'slow and steady wins the race'. I'm wondering if this could be testable using cars.

Say you have a winding track, one car races goes around the track at consistent speed that allows it to take the corners without having to slow down. Another car goes around the same track, but accelerates and brakes as normal. Over time could the first car outstrip the second, if only because it will not need to stop for fuel as soon? Is slow and steady better for city driving than racing (within the speed limit of course).

The second 'running' myth is one in films, where the hero manages to run from a pending explosion and get behind cover just in time. How much time would the average human need to get to a safe distance from explosions of various sizes?

Any examples of the second? The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are from Predator - but given that was an alien we have no idea as to what type of explosion or force was involved. Then was the explosion in Lethal Weapon 3, where the heroes manage to run out of a building before a car bomb goes off and destroys a large building - they started in the underground parking lot and came out of the front door.

Any other 'running' myths you can think of?

rmc
Extremely Senior Member

Posts: 1,774

Running for it Sept 19, 2014 0:38:33 GMT

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Post by rmc on Sept 19, 2014 0:38:33 GMT

Test to see who runs farthest, with fewer issues : One who runs well with shoes verse one who runs well without shoes (tribal runner of some sort?) Doubt the result would be definitive though since there could be some other pair of runners out there who could have opposite results.

the light works
Demi-God

Posts: 38,742

Running for it Sept 19, 2014 1:42:32 GMT

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Post by the light works on Sept 19, 2014 1:42:32 GMT

problem with tribal runners is they tend to come from running cultures, and the upbringing can make a difference. - however, you could use something like that to show how westerners have adapted to become dependent on shoes.

another one that would be challenging to test is "scared $#**less runs faster than madder than #*!!"

one that would be technical to test would be whether the heel-to-toe step that my generation were taught is more damaging to the body than the newer style which lands on the ball of the foot

I suppose the PTD "bears can't run downhill" could be added to the thread as well - not whether they CAN run downhill - but does running downhill to try to outrun a bear help or hurt your chances of not just dying tired.

memeengine
Junior Member

Posts: 207

Running for it Oct 16, 2014 7:09:41 GMT

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Post by memeengine on Oct 16, 2014 7:09:41 GMT

Sept 18, 2014 23:19:01 GMT Cybermortis said:

Say you have a winding track, one car races goes around the track at consistent speed that allows it to take the corners without having to slow down. Another car goes around the same track, but accelerates and brakes as normal. Over time could the first car outstrip the second, if only because it will not need to stop for fuel as soon?

I think you'd have a big problem getting a meaningful result from that kind of test, simply because of the sheer number of dependencies. You can alter the result simply by picking the conditions that suit you.

1. Just how consistent is the "consistent speed"? Is the 'slow' car limited to the speed at which it can take the slowest bend?

2. How winding is the track? What's the ratio of bends to straights? If the track is all bends then the 'fast' car is never going to get much of an advantage in terms of speed (or disadvantage in terms of increased fuel consumption).

3. How consistent are the bends? What's the ratio of fast to slow corners? If there is a mix of fast and slow bends then the 'fast' car will have an advantage because the 'slow' car will under-perform in the faster turns.

4. How slow is slow? What's the difference between the "consistent speed" that the 'slow' car does and the car's most energy efficient speed?

5. Hot fast is fast? What's the difference between the average speed that the fast car manages and the car's most energy efficient speed?

6. How flat is the course? The 'slow' car will not be able to speed up on downhill stretches and consequently won't be able to carry that momentum into the climbs. (Unless the course is so twisty that you can't speed up anyway).

7. Do the cars have modern engine management systems and regenerative braking? Both of which will benefit the 'fast' car as they will reduce fuel consumption.

8. Will the test be long enough that driver fatigue becomes an issue? Is it more or less exhausting to drive at a steady speed or to 'race'?

Those are the questions that pop immediately to mind, there are probably more variables to consider. As I said at the start, you can pick the result simply by choosing the course that best suits it.