Staggered starts on a running track

Staggered starts on a running track

IP 2
8 marks

A running track has two straight sections, each \(100\) m long, joined by two semicircular bends. Measured along the inside edge of lane \(1\), one lap is \(400\) m. Each lane is \(1.2\) m wide. Assume each runner runs along the inside edge of their own lane.

  1. Find the radius of the inside edge of lane \(1\) on the bends.[2]
  2. Find how much further a runner in lane \(2\) travels than a runner in lane \(1\) in one complete lap.[2]
  3. Show that the extra distance for lane \(n\) compared with lane \(1\) is \(2.4\pi(n-1)\) m, and explain why it does not depend on the radius of the bends.[2]
  4. In a \(400\) m race, lane \(1\) starts at the finish line. How far ahead must the runner in lane \(8\) start? Give one reason why the real stagger may differ.[2]

Solution:

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Answer:(a) \(\dfrac{100}{\pi}\approx31.8\) m (b) \(2.4\pi\approx7.54\) m (c) \(2\pi[r+1.2(n-1)]-2\pi r\); \(r\) cancels (d) \(16.8\pi\approx52.8\) m; runners do not run exactly on the edge

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