Christoph Bartneck, Ph.D.

Swim Training Patterns books travel around the world

Swimming is much more fun in a community. We share a passion for the sport and I would like to give others the opportunity to enjoy my latest book, Swim Training Patterns. I sent the first two hardcover books I received on their way around the planet. One will travel predominantely westwards and the other eastwards.

Eric accepting the book travelling east.

The books can only travel by being given from person to person. It should not be send by mail or courier. Given that we are all only six degrees apart, it should not take long for the books to return to Christchurch. Both books contain a tracker, so I can roughly know where they are. Right now, both books are still in Christchurch, but I hope that this will change soon.

If you receive the book, please sign the log and enjoy the book. Once you are done then please simply give it to the next person. This is not a race, so don’t worry if it takes a long time for the book to move forward. If you want to, please send me a photo of the book from where you are.

Motorising the V100 train

I motorised Bluebrixx’s V100 LEGO train with some Mindstorms motors and sensors. The train worked well during the Model Train Show for two days. I documented the major technical challenges and solutions.

Information Is Beautiful Talk

Please join me for this public talk.

Keynote-poster-OMG25-Information-is-beautiful

chatGPT visualisation

openAI published a working paper on how people use chatGPT. They include a visualisation that triggered my curiosity.

The width of the columns represents the cumulative proportion of the main category, and the height of each sub-category represents the proportion of the sub-category within the main category.

The first problem is that the percentages of the main categories do not add up to 100.

Main Category	Percentage
Multimedia	6.00
Other / Unknown	4.60
Practical Guidance	28.30
Seeking Information	21.30
Self-Expression	4.30
Technical Help	7.50
Writing	28.10
Grand Total	100.10

The percentages of the sub-categories, however, do add up to 100. Next, I measured the width of the columns to test if they actually got it right.

I then (ironically) used chatGPT to extract the numerical values from the graph.

Next, I divided the width of the column by the percentage it is supposed to represent.

Main Category	Calculated Percentage	Column Width	Column Width Ratio
Multimedia	5.9	43.0	7.3
Other / Unknown	4.5	32.5	7.2
Practical Guidance	28.3	208.5	7.4
Seeking Information	21.3	157.0	7.4
Self-Expression	4.3	30.0	7.0
Technical Help	7.6	54.0	7.1
Writing	28.1	207.5	7.4

While the columns approximate the main category percentages, they vary considerably. So, how can we do this better? The answer is a good old area graph. It scales each box according the the percentage and groups them into the main categories by color.

A new type of visualization is not always a better visualization.

Book Launch Event

We are delighted to invite you to the launch of Swim Training Patterns: Plan your Training Sessions with the Power of Mathematics by Christoph Bartneck, published by Routledge.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, November 5th, 2025
Time: 5:30 pm
Venue: University Book Shop, University of Canterbury
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zLsx55xFePJVmu33A

This exciting new book explores how mathematics can be used to structure effective and engaging swim training sessions, offering fresh perspectives for coaches, athletes, and anyone passionate about swimming.
Join us to celebrate the release, hear insights from the author, and enjoy an opportunity to connect with fellow swimmers, coaches, and academics.

Drinks and finger food will be served. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. We look forward to seeing you at the University Book Shop to celebrate this special occasion.