Why? The Science of Athletics

184 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS possibility of three errors. These are (I) the practical impossibility of a human being starting his watch coincidentally with the firing of the pistol on account of the human reaction-time involved ; (2) the extreme difficulty the timekeeper experiences in making the stop– ping of his watch coincide exactly with the crossing of the line by the runner, although the finishing-error is probably less than the starting-error since the timekeeper sees the runners approaching and may possibly, but quite sub– consciously, anticipate the arrival of the winner ; (3) the third error is dependent upon the watch itself, which, being built for a precision of a tenth of a second, registers only to the nearest tenth when it is stopped. There is the further possibility of accumulative error dependent upon the adjusted rate of the stop-watch as a timepiece. Conditions Affecting Decisions of Judges Apart from the question of timing races the judging of a close finish is by no means a simple matter, and since science came to the aid of even the most experienced officials more than one human decision has had to be altered upon the production of camera evidence. Similarly, when, as often happens, a dispute arises as to whether this man or that' got a flyer on the starter at the commencement of a race, evidence can be produced by cinematography which will settle the question beyond all possibility offurther argument. To return, however, to the question of timing and judging races. In a close race it is always difficult to decide who was first and sometimes, even, the order in which, say, half a dozen men passed the post. The blanketing of one runner by others may completely upset the judgment of the officials, while the way in which the judges position themselves has a very marked e bearing upon the decision they will give, because the slightest deviation from a line absolutely at right angles to the finish presents an entirely different picture from the true one to the judge who has allowed himself to get out of alignment. I I ' I y