4 ms·
Fun fact: swimming records times are rounded to the hundreds of a second, because recording more precise times would require too high of a tolerance on the leng
by fouronnes3 2y ago
Fun fact: swimming records times are rounded to the hundreds of a second, because recording more precise times would require too high of a tolerance on the length of the pool at construction. I wonder if it's the same for some other sports!
- whycome 2y agoDo they verify the track lengths for sprints?
- votepaunchy 2y ago> rounded to the hundreds of a second As below, this is why the metric system is superior. Centiseconds vs hectoseconds makes it much easier to see the mistake.
- stavros 2y agoI've never seen the "hecto-" prefix before, but I immediately have an undying hatred for it. "Hecto-" means "a sixth of", "hecato-" means "a hundredth of". Sucks that people chose the wrong spelling because they didn't realize it changes the meaning so much.
- Lukas_Skywalker 2y agoThe hecto- prefix isn't commonly used for durations, but it's often used for barometric pressures as in hPa (Hectopascal), or areas such as ha (Hectare), at least in Europe. And it is an official SI prefix.
- stavros 2y agoThis is all true, but I still hate it for being wrong :/
- throwaway99113 2y agoIt is sometimes used in grocery stores in Norway when you need to ask for a quantity of something that is not pre-packed. "I'd like 2 hecto ham" means 2 hectograms (200g, or 0.2kg) It may sound strange if you are not used to it. I also have a feeling that the younger generations prefer just measuring in grams when it is less than a kg. Let's blame the school system ;-) We also sometimes measure area as "dekar" (1000 sq m) and "hektar" (10000 sq m)
- histories 2y agoIt's surprisingly (well) similar in italian, where "etto" is 100 g and "ettaro" is 10000 m².
- ianburrell 2y agoThe dictionary says that "hecto" is hundreth "from French hecto-, from Ancient Greek ἑκατόν (hekatón, “hundred”)." It was sometimes spelled "hecato" in 19th century. In English, "hexa" is the prefix for sixth from the Greek "hex".
- stavros 2y agoCertainly; I'm merely suggesting English is wrong.
- LeoPanthera 2y agoIn thousands of a second, you could gain an advantage by growing long fingernails to touch the wall fractionally earlier.
- euroderf 2y agoAt the possible cost of increased water resistance, and/versus possible increase in power of stroke. Sounds like fertile ground for a Ph.D thesis that sparks a nail craze.
- matt-attack 2y agoWouldn’t you want longer fingernails anyway for a bigger paddle effect?
- pests 2y agoCan't they build a false wall to force an exact length?