First Ever Dead Heat Photo Finish Stumps Finish-Line Cameras
The US sprinters Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh are equally
fast. How do we know? Well, yesterday, during the women's 100
meter Olympics qualifier, they both finished the sprint in
11.068 seconds—and not even a camera running at 3,000 frames per
second could tell their performance apart.  Usually a high-speed
camera, which takes three pictures every thousandth of a second,
can easily tell who crossed the line first. Unsurprising, as its
frame rate gives it a precision of just 300 nanosecond between
frames.  But Felix and Tarmoh have pushed that precision to the
limit, crossing the line simultaneously as far as the camera can
tell. Unfortunately for the pair they both placed third, and the
rules state that only the three fastest runners can progress
through to the Olympics.  Sadly, this is where technology runs
out. If neither chooses to concede their third place spot—and
why would they?—the decision is made through the toss of a US
quarter (Update