Get Outside!

Activity 2

Find a local track: Rampart High School, Mountain Ridge Middle School

Time yourself walking around the inner-most lane and see how long it takes you. Then, time yourself walking around the outer most track lane. Were you faster or slower?!

The outermost lane on an 8-lane track is about 50 meters longer per lap than the innermost lane. Therefore, if you and another person started at the same time on the traditional track starting line (which is at the end of the straightaway, just before the curve), one in the outside lane and one in the inside lane, the person in the inside lane would have to pass the person in the outside lane and travel about halfway around the curve to cover the same distance.

Similarly, low earth orbit satellites travel a much shorter distance per orbit than and geosynchronous satellites because they are much farther from the Earth.