# What's the theoretical limit on a 100m world record? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918 "2008-08-22T12:30:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SpaceDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spacedog/32/9932_2.png) [@SpaceDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceDog)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/1 "2008-08-22T12:30:40Z")
OK, what’s the fastest a human can run the Olympic 100m? I’m guessing we should be able to work out some theoretical limit but I’m not sure where to start. There must be a point where the forces required become impossible to sustain without breaking yourself, any thoughts? Or some limit on the amount of energy availble over time? Or something? ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/2 "2008-08-22T13:26:07Z")
Well, the most basic theoretical limit for any kind of matter or information to cover 100 m is 3.3x 10^-7 seconds (one third of a nanosecond). ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/3 "2008-08-22T13:54:34Z")
[QUOTE=Quercus] Well, the most basic theoretical limit for any kind of matter or information to cover 100 m is 3.3x 10^-7 seconds (one third of a nanosecond). [/QUOTE] The perfect race for the attention impaired. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/4 "2008-08-22T14:49:03Z")
Purely theoretical, I know powerlifters aren’t sprinters, but here’s a thought experiment. Ronnie Coleman (Mr. Olympia from 1998 to 2005) weighs 285lb and has leg pressed 2300 pounds. Let’s assume that, since he only has one leg on the ground at a time, that he’s exerting a constant force of 1150 pounds. If we assume 285 of that is used to hold himself up, that leaves 865 pounds to act in the horizontal direction. 865 pounds is 3.85kN, and 285 pounds equivalent to 129 kg. F = ma, giving an acceleration of 29.76 m/s[sup]2[/sup]. Asafa Powell, in Athens, was recorded at 13.33 m/s. For our theoretical runner to get up to that speed, it would take .48 seconds, and they would have traveled about three meters. the remaining 3 meters would take 7.275 seconds. 7.25 + .5 gives 7.75. Adding another tenth of a second for reaction time (anything less than that gives a false start) gives us an answer of **7.85 seconds**. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/5 "2008-08-22T15:26:40Z")
**Santo Rugger** ,that leg press is a one time maximum lift. Mr. Coleman would not be able to exert that force on each of the 30-40 steps he would be taking in the race along with the fact that he could not apply that level of effort at the required speed. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/6 "2008-08-22T15:41:55Z")
Well, it’s still a better lower bound than 333 picoseconds. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/7 "2008-08-22T15:47:03Z")
We could start by looking at the fastest time for any animal in the animal kingdom, which would give us a time that we know is achievable by organic matter. Not exactly the direction you’re looking, but it might add a bit of information to the puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/8 "2008-08-22T15:49:21Z")
At what sort of g-force does the human circulatory system cease providing adequate blood flow? That’d be a pretty firm limit. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/9 "2008-08-22T15:58:10Z")
_There was some research earlier this year out of France that suggested that 9.5 seconds was about the limit, after which time we’d have to resort to measuring times in the 1/1000th of a second._ [http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/08/beijing-2008-men-100m-report.html](http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/08/beijing-2008-men-100m-report.html) ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/10 "2008-08-22T16:02:54Z")
[QUOTE=runner pat] **Santo Rugger** ,that leg press is a one time maximum lift. Mr. Coleman would not be able to exert that force on each of the 30-40 steps he would be taking in the race along with the fact that he could not apply that level of effort at the required speed. [/QUOTE] It also takes something like an order of magnitude longer to perform one rep of a leg press than to take one step in a sprint. A dump truck can exert huge torque but you can’t extrapolate that to how it would do in a 1/4 mile drag race. Also, when Chuck Norris sprints, he doesn’t move, the Earth rotates under him. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/11 "2008-08-22T16:08:03Z")
Note that I just used that level of acceleration for half a second. I concede that I made a -lot- of assumptions, hence the “purely theoretical” and “thought experiment” disclaimers in the post. If you guys have a better method, feel free to share them. 😛😉 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/12 "2008-08-22T16:19:41Z")
The static coefficient of friction between rubber and dry asphalt is [0.5 - 0.8](http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/friction-coefficients-d_778.html). Seems to me that implies that a runner could apply a force equal to 0.5 to 0.8 times his weight before he starts slipping. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/13 "2008-08-22T16:31:48Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] The static coefficient of friction between rubber and dry asphalt is [0.5 - 0.8](http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/friction-coefficients-d_778.html). Seems to me that implies that a runner could apply a force equal to 0.5 to 0.8 times his weight before he starts slipping. [/QUOTE] Sprinters wear running spikes, and don’t run on asphalt. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/14 "2008-08-22T16:57:10Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Sprinters wear running spikes, and don’t run on asphalt. [/QUOTE] So what’s their frictional coefficient? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/15 "2008-08-22T17:04:36Z")
[QUOTE=Quercus] Well, the most basic theoretical limit for any kind of matter or information to cover 100 m is 3.3x 10^-7 seconds (one third of a nanosecond). [/QUOTE] I think you slipped a decimal there. In one nanosecond light travels [30cm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(time)) (299.7+ to be precise)\* so I make it 333 nanoseconds, 0.333 **micro** seconds minimum, to complete a 100 meter dash. \*I remember because I saw a film where the incomparable [Grace Hopper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper) held up a foot-long piece of wire and proclaimed, “This is a nanosecond,” explaining that’s how far light would travel in that time. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/16 "2008-08-22T17:22:35Z")
[QUOTE=DesertDog] I think you slipped a decimal there. In one nanosecond light travels [30cm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(time)) (299.7+ to be precise)\* so I make it 333 nanoseconds, 0.333 **micro** seconds minimum, to complete a 100 meter dash. \*I remember because I saw a film where the incomparable [Grace Hopper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper) held up a foot-long piece of wire and proclaimed, “This is a nanosecond,” explaining that’s how far light would travel in that time. [/QUOTE] Nano-, micro-, what’s three orders of magnitude between friends? (I think I got it right in terms of seconds, just slipped a gasket on the prefix for 10^-6) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/17 "2008-08-22T18:12:43Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] So what’s their frictional coefficient? [/QUOTE] Hell if I know. This is GQ, so while I know that the rubber/asphalt bit doesn’t apply, I’m not throwing out a WAG as far as the correct frictional coefficient. “More” is about all I got. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/18 "2008-08-22T18:22:44Z")
[QUOTE=DesertDog] \*I remember because I saw a film where the incomparable [Grace Hopper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper) held up a foot-long piece of wire and proclaimed, “This is a nanosecond,” explaining that’s how far light would travel in that time. [/QUOTE] She also handed out packets of ground black pepper, labeled picoseconds. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/19 "2008-08-22T19:26:49Z")
[QUOTE=Quercus] Nano-, micro-, what’s three orders of magnitude between friends? (I think I got it right in terms of seconds, just slipped a gasket on the prefix for 10^-6) [/QUOTE] I seem to recall it as a foot per femto-second too lazy/busy to do the math now Blll ---
**Author:** ![SpaceDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spacedog/32/9932_2.png) [@SpaceDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceDog)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918/20 "2008-08-22T19:48:33Z")
Wow, excellent answers. Thanks everyone. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-theoretical-limit-on-a-100m-world-record/460918.md?page=2)