Some people feel that a lap and a length are the same thing. They will use the terms interchangeably. Competitive swimmers do not often talk about lengths, but when they do they usually mean one complete length of the pool. As such, a lap generally refers to two lengths. For example in a 25 yard pool, a mile is ~35 laps, or ~70 lengths.
Webster's II New College Dictionary uses the following definition for lap in regard to pools: "2.b. One complete length of a straight course, as in a swimming pool."
20 lengths of a 25 meter pool, or 10 lengths of a 50 meter pool. Some people refer to a lap as one pool length, while others refer to a lap as down and back (2 lengths). I haven't found which one is the correct terminology, but the term length has only one meaning (for the particular pool that you are using).
In a long course meter (LCM) pool, 50 meters equals one length of the pool. In a short course meter (SCM) pool, 50 meters equals 2 lengths or one lap of the pool.
One length of an Olympic size swimming pool is 50mtrs or 164.041 feet, so a lap (2 lengths) would be 328.082 feet
70.4 laps. 25yds is 75 feet. (5280ft/mi)/75ft=70.4. If a lap is one length then 70.4 laps. If a lap is two lengths, i.e., up and back then its 35.2 laps.
800 metres in a 25 metre pool is 32 lengths, however, you may count 2 lengths as one 'lap' or 'circuit,' which would make 16 laps.800 yards = meters?1 yard = 0.9144 meters800 * 0.9144 = 731.52 meters731.52 meters/25 meters = 29.2608800 yards in a 25 meter pool is 29 laps.
One length is one lap. Webster's II New College Dictionary gives this definition in regard to swimming pools: "2.b. One complete length of a straight course, as in a swimming pool."I think the confusion comes from a swimmer being "lapped", which is a different term and has a different definition. As a competitive swimmer in summer, high school, and college, we counted 1 length as 1 lap no matter how long the pool, and never talked about "lengths of the pool" at all. My lap counters always counted down from 20 for the 500 and from 64 for the mile (in 25m pools). In the Olympics the 50m is one lap. But, the definition of a lap is not linked to any particular measurement; when you turn around, you are swimming a new lap.Perhaps we can do away with the confusion by just talking about yardage/meters instead which is how most competitive swimmers talk about how far they swam.Some people think that 2 lengths of the pool is a lap -- that is from start to the end of the pool and back (seems to make sense, right?), however, according to the rules of the Olympic games, a lap is one length of a pool. This is how competitive high school and college swimmers count laps, as well. In track a lap is one complete distance of the length of track. It's the same in swimming; one length of the pool is one lap.
The correct term is lengths but In a 25 yard pool it would be 240 lengths
no a lap is down and back
You have to swim 20 laps of the pool in a 500 yard race. One lap is considered one length of the pool, or 25 yards. In the 500, you are allowed a counter. The counter sits at the far end of the pool and shows you how many laps you have swum. The counter will show up to the number 17, then on the 19th lap, he or she will show a red sign.
It will take 64.4 lengths (32.2 laps) to equal one mile.
One lap is usually seen as there-and-back, so a lap is twice the length of the pool. So a lap in a 50 m pool is 100 m. One km is 1000 meters. 1000 / 100 = 1010 laps in a 50 m pool is 1 km.If you want it in lengths, then 1000 / 50 = 2020 lengths makes 1 km.
An Olympic pool is 50 meters in length so 50 meters would be one length of the pool .