Michael's Arms Windmilled, Propelling Him Through the Water at a Pace

question 16

Essay

Michael's arms windmilled, propelling him through the water at a pace few could believe.He completed his 100 meter butterfly in 49.82 seconds and was pleased with his performance.At the ceremony later that afternoon, Michael and the other seven finalists were awarded participation medals, which he found distressing.He was quick to point out that the average time for the 100 meter butterfly was 53 seconds with a standard deviation of 0.9 seconds.There must be some way of demonstrating how exceptional his time was, so he turned to his friend who was studying quantitative analysis to help him prove this.How exceptional is Michael's performance?

---

Definitions:

Criterion

A standard or principle by which something is judged or recognized.

Noise Level

The intensity of unwanted or disturbing sounds in a particular environment, often measured in decibels.

Subliminal Perception

The processing of information by sensory systems without a person's conscious awareness.

False Alarm

An error or false report indicating a problem or emergency when none actually exists.