At the 2102 Battle of the Quants, a gathering of algorithmic asset traders in the financial sector, quantitative analyst Aaron Brown started his presentation with a statement of the following numerals: 3.14159.
He waited. He knew someone in the audience would respond.
“265358,” came the answer from the back of the room. Together, the range of numbers supplied the first 12 digits of pi.
Are you the equivalent of a quant in the open water world? Do you know the answer to questions like:
1. What is the shortest distance in nautical miles between England and France?
2. What is the average time per 100 meters that Ous Mellouli swam to a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games 10km marathon swim?
3. As a percentage, how did Mellouli’s pace in the Serpentine compare to (a) his bronze-medal 1500m swim in the Olympic Swimming Centre?
4. How much higher might a swimmer of 70kg in weight and 175cm in height ride in the water with a full body 2mm neoprene wetsuit versus wearing no wetsuit at all?
5. If you wanted to swim in the coldest water possible, what would that temperature be, where would you find that body of water, and why?
6. What factors play a role in determining the optimal course across the Catalina Channel and why?
(a) wind speed
(b) wind direction
(c) water temperature
(d) time of high and low tides
(e) wave height and intervals
(b) other
7. Do you look at tidal charts and lunch with mariners to analyze optimal ways to cross a channel?
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