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Going for Gold
Looking at the 2012 Olympic Medal table, can you see how the data is organised? Could the results be presented differently to give another nation the top place?
Olympic Starters
Look at some of the results from the Olympic Games in the past. How do you compare if you try some similar activities?
Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level
Just over 100 years ago, in 1908, the Olympic Games were held in London. They were held in London again in 1948, just after World War 2.
Here are the results from some men's track events:
100 metres 10.8 secs
200 metres 22.6 secs
400 metres 50.0 secs
800 metres 112 secs
1500 metres 240 secs
100 metres 10.3 secs
200 metres 21.1 secs
400 metres 46.2 secs
800 metres 109 secs
1500 metres 229 secs
The 2012 London Olympics were another 64 years later. Here are the men's track results:
100 metres 9.6 secs
200 metres 19.3 secs
400 metres 43.9 secs
800 metres 101 secs
1500 metres 214 secs
How did the results differ?
Could you have predicted the 2012 results?
Perhaps more importantly, what's the reason for your answer?
Here are the women's swimming results from the 1948 Olympic Games and the 2012 Olympic Games:
100 metres freestyle 66.3 secs
400 metres freestyle 318 secs
100 metres backstroke 74.4 secs
200 metres backstroke 177 secs
100 metres freestyle 53 secs
400 metres freestyle 241 secs
100 metres backstroke 58.3 secs
200 metres backstroke 124 secs
How did these results differ?
Could you have predicted the results?
Can you use these results to predict what the women's swimming results will be in the next Olympic Games?
How accurate do you think your prediction is?
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.