Adding time is fun

[guesswest]

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It might be the best example of red-tape interfering with scientific measurement I've ever heard. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]


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Not that it's exactly a scientific measurement - but my favourite example of that kind of interference is the official marathon distance. Changed from 26 miles to 26 miles, 385 yards for the 1908 Olympics in London so that it finished in front of the royal box, and never changed back.

[TomCollins]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It might be the best example of red-tape interfering with scientific measurement I've ever heard. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]


[/ QUOTE ]

Not that it's exactly a scientific measurement - but my favourite example of that kind of interference is the official marathon distance. Changed from 26 miles to 26 miles, 385 yards for the 1908 Olympics in London so that it finished in front of the royal box, and never changed back.

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O RLY?

The choice of distance was somewhat arbitrary. The first modern Olympics in 1896 had a marathon distance of 40 km. The starting point for the 1908 Olympic marathon in London was modified so that the Royal Family could have a good view and the length happened to be 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). For the next Olympics in 1912, the length was changed to 40.2 km and changed again to 42.75 km for the 1920 Olympics. Of the first 7 Olympic games, there were 6 different marathon distances between 40 and 42.75 km (40 km being used twice).

A fixed distance of 42.195 km was adopted in 1921 by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) as the official marathon distance.

[guesswest]

Right, it's totally arbitrary, but it's still amusing to me that the extra 385 yards/195 metres atheletes are running, to this day and age, are a result of a handful of rich people wanting the race to finish where they were sitting 100 years ago.

[TomCollins]

It's arbitrary that it is 26 miles anyway [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]