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The Olympics and the Metric System

Olympic Fast Facts

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Diving off the 10 meter diving platform is similar to diving from the roof of a three-story building.
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Springboard divers bound from a board that is 50 centimeters in width, or about the size of four standard compact discs placed side by side.
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The 10-meter diving platform is almost two meters wide, about the width of a full-sized pickup truck.
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Waterpolo players pass and carry a ball in a pool that is 1.8 meters deep, or approximately the height of a standard upright refrigerator.
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Competitors in the modern pentathlon must, among other events, run 4,000 meters around a track, which is longer than 43 football fields laid end to end.
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The heaviest weapon used in fencing is the epee, which weighs 756 grams, or about as much as two empty ceramic coffee mugs.

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Gymnastics floor exercises are performed on a mat measuring 12 by 12 meters, roughly twice the size of a boxing ring.

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Gymnasts execute precise movements on a balance beam that is only 10 centimeters wide, about the width of a paperback novel.

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The rings in men's gymnastics are place 250 centimeters off the floor, which is about the height of a standard ceiling.


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Phone: (301) 975-4004, Fax: (301) 975-8091, Email: TheSI@nist.gov

Date Created: February 6, 2006
Date Last Modified: July 26, 2007

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