In 1958, L. Lucy developed a method for predicting the world record for any give
ID: 2883820 • Letter: I
Question
In 1958, L. Lucy developed a method for predicting the world record for any given year that a human could run a distance of 1 mile. His formula is given below: t(n) = 218 + 31(0.933)n where t(n) is the world record (in seconds) for the mile run in year 1950 + n. Thus, n = 5 corresponds to the year 1955. Questions: Find the estimate for the world record in the year 2005. Do an Internet search and verify your result then share it with your classmates during the discussion. While on the Internet find other records and discuss the effectiveness of L. Lucy’s formula. Is it accurate?
Explanation / Answer
Given t(n) = 218 + 31(0.933)n
In 1955, n =5, t(5) = 218 + 31(0.933)5
= 239.92 seconds
In the year 2005, n = 2005 -1950 = 55
t(55) = 218 + 31(0.933)55
= 218.68 seconds