In an effort to make introductory physics more engaging for students, University of Toledo Physics Professor Scott Lee has published a new article that poses an interesting question: could the sprinter record Usain Bolt surpassing the crested dinosaur Dilophosaurus ?
This dilophosaurid theropod dinosaur lived approximately 200 to 190 million years ago . Usain Bolt is a former Jamaican professional athlete who holds the world records for the 100 and 200 meter dash. In this situation, could Dilophosaurus win this 100-meter dash against eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt?
Who would win?
The article lays out the math required to solve this puzzle, and based on physics, Usain Bolt would easily beat the Jurassic creature by a good two seconds.
The fact that Usain Bolt’s average speed in the 100m race matches Dilophosaurus ‘ top speed means Usain Bolt will win the race,” Lee wrote.
At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Bolt broke his own 100m record with a time of 9.58 seconds, the biggest improvement since the implementation of electronic timing. According to a study by the National Autonomous University of Mexico , Bolt’s acceleration as he left the starting block was 9.5 meters per second squared.
The critical factor in this duel of the titans is precisely the acceleration, according to Newton’s second law. Lee’s (and his students’) calculations showed an initial acceleration of 4.19 meters per second squared for Dilophosaurus, much lower than Bolt’s initial acceleration. Being smaller than the dinosaur would give Bolt a big enough advantage to ensure he couldn’t catch up.
“A big problem in physical education is getting students excited about the course material. These dinosaur problems really get a lot of interest out of students,” Lee explains.
Referencia: Scott Lee et al. “Would Usain Bolt beat the dinosaur Dilophosaurus wetherilli in a 100-meter race?”The Physics Teacher on Feb. 28, 2022 (DOI: 10.1119/5.0041057 / aip.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1119/5.0041057.
