What is "sprint"

Sprint \Sprint\, n. The act of sprinting; a run of a short distance at full speed.

Sprint race, a foot race at the highest running speed; -- usually limited to distances under a quarter of a mile.

Sprint \Sprint\ (spr[i^]nt), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sprinted; p. pr. & vb. n. Sprinting.] [Cf. Sprunt.] To run very rapidly; to run at full speed.

A runner [in a quarter-mile race] should be able to sprint the whole way.
--Encyc. Brit.

1560s, "to spring, dart," probably an alteration of sprenten "to leap, spring" (early 14c.), from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse spretta "to jump up" (cognate with Swedish spritta "to start, startle"). Meaning "to run a short distance at full speed" first recorded 1871. Related: Sprinted; sprinting.

"short burst of running, etc.," 1865, from sprint (v.).

n. 1 A short race at top speed 2 A burst of speed or activity 3 In (w: Agile software development), a period of development of a fixed time that is preceded and followed by meetings. vb. (context ambitransitive English) To run, cycle, etc. at top speed for a short period

1. n. a quick run [syn: dash]

2. v. run very fast, usually for a short distance

The sprint or match sprint is a track cycling event involving between two and four riders, though it is usually run as a one-on-one match race between opponents who, unlike in the individual pursuit, start next to each other.

Sprint may refer to:

Sprint is a text-based word processor for MS-DOS, first published by Borland in 1987. __FORCETOC__

Sprinting is running over a short distance in a limited period of time. It is used in many sports that incorporate running, typically as a way of quickly reaching a target or goal, or avoiding or catching an opponent. Human physiology dictates that a runner's near-top speed cannot be maintained for more than 30–35 seconds due to the depletion of phosphocreatine stores in muscles, and perhaps secondarily to excessive metabolic acidosis as a result of anaerobic glycolysis.

In athletics and track and field, sprints (or dashes) are races over short distances. They are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other. There are three sprinting events which are currently held at the Summer Olympics and outdoor World Championships: the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 400 metres. These events have their roots in races of imperial measurements which were later altered to metric: the 100 m evolved from the 100 yard dash, the 200 m distance came from the furlong (or mile), and the 400 m was the successor to the 440 yard dash or quarter-mile race.

At the professional level, sprinters begin the race by assuming a crouching position in the starting blocks before leaning forward and gradually moving into an upright position as the race progresses and momentum is gained. The set position differs depending on the start. Body alignment is of key importance in producing the optimal amount of force. Ideally the athlete should begin in a 4-point stance and push off using both legs for maximum force production. Athletes remain in the same lane on the running track throughout all sprinting events, with the sole exception of the 400 m indoors. Races up to 100 m are largely focused upon acceleration to an athlete's maximum speed. All sprints beyond this distance increasingly incorporate an element of endurance.

The 60 metres is a common indoor event and it is an indoor world championship event. Less common events include the 50 metres, 55 metres, 300 metres, and 500 metres which are used in some high school and collegiate competitions in the United States.

A sprint is a get-together of people involved in a project to further a focused development of the project. Sprints typically last from one week up to three weeks. Sprints have become popular events in some open-source projects. For example, the PyPy project is mostly developed during regularly held sprints where most of the international developer team gathers.

Sprints often take place near conferences which most of the project team attend, but they can also be hosted by some involved party at their premises or at some interesting location.

Sprints are organized around the ideas of the Extreme Programming discipline of software development. A coach directs the sprint, suggesting tasks, tracking their progress and making sure that no one remains stuck. Most of the development happens in pairs. A large open space is often chosen as a venue for efficient communication.

Sprints can vary in focus. During some sprints people new to the project are welcomed and get an intensive hands-on introduction pairing with an experienced project member. The first part of such sprints is usually spent getting ready, presenting the tutorials, getting the network setup and ensuring that configuration/source-control software and processes are installed and followed.

A significant benefit of sprinting is that the project members meet in person, socialize, and start to communicate more effectively than when working together remotely.

The Sprint was a two-stage, solid-fuel anti-ballistic missile, armed with a W66 enhanced radiation thermonuclear warhead. It was designed as the short-range high-speed counterpart to the longer-range LIM-49 Spartan as part of the Sentinel program. Sentinel never became operational, but the technology was deployed briefly in a downsized version called the Safeguard program. The Sprint, like the Spartan, was in operational service for only a few months in the Safeguard program, from October 1975 to early 1976. Congressional opposition and high costs linked to its questionable economics and efficacy against the then emerging MIRV warheads of the Soviet Union, resulted in a very short operational period.

The Sprint accelerated at 100 g, reaching a speed of Mach 10 in 5 seconds. Such a high velocity at relatively low altitudes created skin temperatures up to 6200 °F (3400 °C), requiring an ablative shield to dissipate the heat. It was designed for close-in defense against incoming nuclear weapons. As the last line of defense it was to intercept the reentry vehicles that had not been destroyed by the Spartan, with which it was deployed.

The conical Sprint was stored in and launched from a silo. To make the launch as quick as possible, the cover was blown off the silo by explosive charges; then the missile was ejected by an explosive-driven piston. As the missile cleared the silo, the first stage fired and the missile was tilted toward its target. The first stage was exhausted after only 1.2 seconds, but produced 650,000 lbf (2,900 kN) of thrust. On separation of the spent first stage, it disintegrated due to aerodynamic forces. The second stage fired within 1 – 2 seconds of launch. Interception at an altitude of one to eighteen miles altitude (1.5 to 30 km) took at most 15 seconds.

The Sprint was controlled by ground-based radio command guidance, which tracked the incoming reentry vehicles with phased-array radar and guided the missile to its target.

The Sprint was armed with an enhanced radiation nuclear warhead with a yield reportedly of a few kilotons, though the exact number has not been declassified. The warhead was intended to destroy the incoming reentry vehicle primarily by neutron flux.

The first test of the Sprint missile took place at White Sands Missile Range on 17 November 1965.