CURIOSITY CORNER

Curiosity Corner 

By  

Dr. Jerry D. Wilson, 

Professor Emeritus of Physics 

Lander University 

Question: Why are races run counterclockwise? (Asked by an anonymous sports fan.) 

Reply: The general thought is that this originated with foot races on circular or oval tracks. Most people are right-handed (as much as 90% of a population), and the right foot is also favored. Putting the right foot forward and leaning into a turn feels more comfortable and provides more power balance than the reverse direction, so races were run counterclockwise. 

But dog races, horse races and even NASCAR races are run counterclockwise. This may be a holdover from foot races; however, it tends to look more natural with race participants passing observers in the stands. We read or time something in a straight line from left-to-right. Think about watching a race or timing something going right-to-left, or clockwise. 

Okay, I know someone is going to ask: why do the hands of a clock go “clockwise?” I think I’ve answered that before, but to satisfy any curiosity, here it is again. The sundial was used for early time keeping. In most of the Northern Hemisphere (above 23½ N latitude), you have to face south to see the sun. As a result, the shadow of the sundial’s gnomon (the vertical piece casting the shadow) moves from left-to-right, or clockwise, during the day. 

When mechanical clocks were invented in the 14th century (in the Northern Hemisphere), the inventors naturally had the hands follow the sundial shadow or the sun’s movement in the sky: left-to-right (clockwise), or east-to-west. Personally, I’ve gone digital. 

Here’s another curious point for you to think about. Clockwise is a sense, not a direction. A direction is a fixed space, no matter how you look at it. Think of looking at a clock face in space in front of you. The hands go clockwise. Then put yourself on the other side of the clock… the hands would be going counterclockwise. So, to be completely accurate, you should say that races are run counterclockwise, when viewed from above. If you viewed them from below, they would be running clockwise. Think about it. 

C.P.S. (Curious Postscript): “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” 

Curious about something? Send your questions to Dr. Jerry D. Wilson, College of Science and Mathematics, Lander University, Greenwood, SC, 29649, or email jerry@curiosity-corner.net. Selected questions will appear in the Curiosity Corner. For Curiosity Corner background, go to www.curiosity-corner.net.