A Century of Fast
Three short lessons on the Olympic 100 m freestyle since 1908: the winners on a chart, a straight line against a curve, and why every line says something silly about the year 2100.
For grown-ups, from what SplitForge teaches children at Spark & Anvil.
Draw the century
You'll need: Graph paper, a ruler, a pencil, the list of 27 winning times (in the course guidebook or on SplitForge).
- Draw years across (1900 to 2040) and seconds up (40 to 70), and plot the 27 winners.
- Each person draws the line or curve they believe, and marks a guess for 2028.
- Say why you drew what you drew. Write the guesses down with today’s date.
- After the 2028 Games, take the paper out and see whose shape held up.
The same idea, with the world taken away
A straight line and a bending curve both fit the last hundred points well. Which would you trust to guess the next hundred, and why?
Ask it, then let everyone say the answer in their own words. A child's rung on Spark & Anvil ends the same way, with the world gone and the numbers left.
The same idea at every age
- Ages 3–5Bead a Length and 3 more
- Ages 6–8Fives Round the Clock and 3 more
- Ages 9–14The Star and 9 more
- Ages 15–18The Points Curve and 3 more
Your child will meet this idea again at every age. The tools and courses here are the part for you.