Wally Swartzell, age 10, of Butte, Mont., for his question:

HOW HEAVY IS THE DISCUS USED IN THE DISCUS THROW?

The discus throw is one of the oldest individual sports. It was a popular event with the ancient Greeks in their early Olympic Games. The Greeks considered the discus throwing champion to be the greatest athlete of all.

The ancient athletes threw a discus made of stone or metal. But the discus used today is a round wooden plate with a smooth metal rim. It weighs four pounds.

Athletes throw the discus from a circle that is around eight feet in diameter. The discus thrower holds the discus in the palm of one hand, with the ends of his fingers curling around the metal rim. He whirls his body in a complete turn to gather speed and power and then hurls the discus at the end of his second turn.

The athlete's fingertips spin the discus as it leaves his hand and it flies through the air in a fairly flat position.