The Science Behind Usain's Magic

How does Usain Bolt run so fast?

Bolt is basically an abberation - when you're that big, you shouldn't be able to run that fast because muscle speed is generally related to size (e.g. squirrels move faster than giraffes). Sprinters are usually short and have more fast-twitch muscle fibers so they accelerate quicker but can't run longer distances. 800m runners are usually taller but with less fast-twitch muscle fibers. Bolt, however, is tall and has the fast-twitch fibers.

Physiologist Peter Weyand divides each cycle of a runner’s leg into what happens 1) when their foot is in the air, and 2) when it’s on the ground.

• (1) is shockingly irrelevant - at top speed, every runner (even grandpa) takes ~.3 seconds to pick their foot up and put it down again.
• (2) For most, the amount of force applied when on the ground determines speed. Calf muscles, and then hip muscles, are the prime determiners for creating this force. For this, runners can either exert the same force over a longer period (e.g. like a cheetah) or hit the ground harder. Great sprinters hit the ground with a force ~2.5 times their body weight (vs. ~2 for average people). Usain Bolt, weighing 210 lbs, creates 990 lbs of force - 4.7 times his weight.

What is the limit of human speed?

1. Non-physiological factors: being quicker off the block, running with a stronger tailwind, running at higher altitudes where thinner air exerts less drag
2. Mathematician Reza Noubary calculated, “the ultimate time for [the] 100 meter dash is 9.44 seconds.”
3. Weyand, however, say its not predictable - especially with gene therapy avenues out there.

Taller Candidate = More Votes?

Researchers first had participants describe and draw figures representing their concept of a typical citizen and an ideal national leader. 64% drew a leader that was taller than the typical citizen.Then, participants answered a survey about their personal perceptions of political leadership and attitudes about  running for office - revealing a significant relationship between height and perceived leadership capability and also in running for office. What's more, a preference for taller leaders exists in various societies (e.g. ancient Mayans, pre-classical Greeks), among the majority of American presidents, and even animals.

Just so you know - John McCain is 5'8", President Obama is 6'1" but Mitt Romney is 6'2"...

Your Home's Height Affects Your Age

National Geographic reports that you'll age slightly faster on a higher altitude.

It's because of the time-bending effects of the theories of relativity. Special relativity predicts time flows at an unsteady rate and also says that acceleration affects time. So, a clock speeding away from an observer will appear to tick slower than a stationary clock. Relativity also predicts that gravity also affects time - the stronger the gravity, the slower the time. Gravitation pull on an object increases closer to the center of mass, so an object on Earth's surface experiences a slightly stronger pull than one floating in the atmosphere.

But don't go buying homes underground. Over a 79-year lifetime, you'd only add ~90 billionths of one second to your life if you moved to lower ground.