Kirkpatrick on Records

Louisiana State University's huge Jack Torrance made his world record shot-put of 57 ft. 1 in. in 1934 at Oslo. If he had made exactly the same throw at New York or Rome, the shot would have traveled one inch farther; if at Madras, two inches farther--because of differences in the force of gravity. Moreover, since the field at Oslo was not checked by surveying instruments, there may have been an undetected inch of deviation from absolute flatness. In that case the throw would have been an inch longer or shorter, depending on whether it was downhill or uphill. The iron ball's trajectory is such that it hits the ground at an angle of about 45DEG, so that the deviation in length is about equal to the irregularity of surface level.

These considerations were set forth last week in an article called "Unscientific Measurement in Athletics," published in Scientific American by Dr. Paul H. Kirkpatrick, associate professor of Physics at Stanford University. It was just chance that Torrance's throw came out in even inches. Leo Sexton's 1932 Olympic shot-put record was measured at 52 ft. 6 3/161n. And Dr. Kirkpatrick's point is that the fractional-inch measurements indulged in by track officials are, scientifically considered, so much poppycock. A truly conscientious measurement would have to take into consideration important geographical, physical and atmospheric factors.

"If the ultimate eighth of an inch of John Doe's hammer throw or broad jump is to be entered in the records at all," says Dr. Kirkpatrick. "it would seem sensible to try to get it down correctly. ... In all cases where adequate data are at hand the method of redress is by simple arithmetic, in conjunction with two or three venerable formulas. . . . The labors of Newton and Copernicus have been complete for some time now, but news sometimes seems to travel slowly in precisely those quarters where it is significant."

Reason the force of gravity decreases in low latitudes is that Earth's surface rotates faster near the Equator, generating a stronger centrifugal force which goes farther toward counteracting the gravitational pull. A good javelin throw will go a foot farther in Hongkong than in Finland. The same broad jump will be 3/8 in. longer in Texas than in Massachusetts. "Hammer throwers with Olympic aspirations," writes Dr. Kirkpatrick, "may take satisfaction in the award of the 1940 games to Tokyo rather than to Helsingfors, for a well-thrown hammer will go some 4 1/2 in. farther in Japan than in Finland." Differences of altitude bring about a further complication, for the force of gravity decreases with increasing height from sea level.

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