Which timer do you trust more: swimming or track?

Question

I trust more swimming because the swimmer needs to touch the wall. But how exact is the timer in track when the runner only crosses a line? What makes it so exact to determine who is breaking records?

Answer 1

I trust the swimming one more personally, but the running ones work somewhat like the cyclops in tennis with mirrors and light.

The reason I trust swimming more is that there is one timer sensor individually for each swimmer.

Answer 2

I trust swimming a lot more.

For track they just have to look at a picture/replay the race in slow mo. It's kind of a guessing game, but it seems pretty accurate to me.

Swimming in all computerized so I like it better though

Phleps' 100m fly for example was amazing

Answer 3

Trusting swimming times more shows ignorance over how athletics timing is done.

The official track times have nothing to do with the laser-stopped timers people see, or with reviewing slo-mo video. They are determined by a special high-speed timing film that records everything at the finish line at each .01 second and between too. The only margin of error is the time it takes light to get from the runner to the film, or about 1 ten-millionth of a second.

Track finishes are recorded on photographic film that runs on a precision timer. Everything that crosses the line records a silhouette on the film as it rolls, at exactly the time they hit the line. Because it is very high speed film, the time is marked in 1/100th's of a second, but if two runners tie there is still plenty of space between each 100th allowing you to determine the winner in the event of a tie.

The timer on the track is stopped automatically by a laser, which is why the scoreboard people see often shows a different time than the film does. The laser timing has the same margin of error of anything that depends on electronic equipment, including swimming's touch pads. One problem for each is network latency, the same thing that makes it take .01 seconds for data to get from your pc to your router. You can try to correct for this latency but it won't result in anything precise down to .01 seconds.

If you google something like "track finish film bolt" I bet you'll find a copy of the film that shows Usain Bolt's time. Timing film has been the most precise form of timing for over 20 years. Swimming times won't be as precise as track times unless they start using timing film too.

Answer 4

being a track runner i would say track.  but i think most have similar systems.  i know track has an electronic timing system that timer starts with the gun and they have video cameras set up at the finish line.  they can then go through frame by frame with the time down to the hundredth (sometimes the thousandth of a second) with where everyone is.

here is an example of it from the olympic trials 800m

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sit...

Answer 5

Swimming.  

Answer 6

track