← A Century of Fast · Lesson 3 of 3
The trouble with 2100
Carry the straight line forward and it says the 2100 winner swims about 33 seconds, and that the winning time reaches zero in 2317. Nobody can swim a hundred metres in no time, so the line stops being a good model long before then.
The curve says about 41.7 seconds in 2100 — kinder, but still a guess made from one century of numbers. A model is a short summary of the past. Use it to ask good questions about the next Games, not to promise an answer.
The line and the curve each give a number for the 2100 winner. What is the most honest thing to say about those numbers?
A lesson is kept once you've answered the question and written at least 8 words. Nobody grades it; it stays on this device.