Award Date

1-1-1999

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Mathematics

First Committee Member

George Miel

Number of Pages

66

Abstract

In this thesis, we construct a model of human performance in short distance foot races. First, we describe the Hill-Keller model of competitive running, based on the solution to an optimal control problem, and then focus on that part of the model dealing with short distance races. Our task is to estimate two underlying physiological parameters that characterize the runner's performance. Second, we customize this submodel by linearizing Keller's analytical solution for short distance races, we then apply a high quality linear least squares estimation based on the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) in order to estimate the two physiological parameters. Finally, we apply this computational model to real world data, first on a 1987 World Track record, and more extensively, on larger data sets consisting of split times of high school student athletes.

Keywords

Distance; Modeling; Running; Short

Controlled Subject

Mathematics; Kinesiology; Physiology

File Format

pdf

File Size

1525.76 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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Rights

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