Why don't we see false starts in swimming?

that's because you don't watch swimming

Because there is enough time to make up a small delay in your start in anything 100 meters or longer, which is all but one race in swimming. There's no real incentive to push it compared to the downside. It's not like track where a race is only 10ish or 20ish seconds for the 100 and 200.

Why don’t we see false starts in races longer than 110m in track?

The starting signal in swimming is is always exactly the same - just listen to the beep-beep-beep. Not sure how they do it, probably some computer generated stuff linked to the clock - but point is since it's always the same that means the swimmers can train for it.

The starting in track on the other hand is still semi-random since a human starter can hold the "go" for several seconds should he/she want to. The longer they hold, the bigger the chance that someone can't hold it down.

Track and fields should copy the svimming method IMHO.

Five is the magic number wrote:

The starting signal in swimming is is always exactly the same - just listen to the beep-beep-beep. Not sure how they do it, probably some computer generated stuff linked to the clock - but point is since it's always the same that means the swimmers can train for it.

The starting in track on the other hand is still semi-random since a human starter can hold the "go" for several seconds should he/she want to. The longer they hold, the bigger the chance that someone can't hold it down.

Track and fields should copy the svimming method IMHO.

I don't completely disagree, but there would need to be a new set of records in the shorter events based on the ability to anticipate the start.

The men 4x100 medley relay team of China jumped early today. You can check that.

The starting beep is triggered by a real person watching all the swimmers from the side, near the end of the pool. The referee blows a whistle to signal the swimmers to get up on the blocks, then gives control to the starter. The starter says "take your mark" and the swimmers must settle into their start position. When the starter feels everyone is still, they trigger the beep. The starter should keep a different timing from start to start. It seemed like they were cycling through three different starters to further enforce this. The big thing is that the starter isn't trying to trick the swimmers into false starting, only ensuring a fair start. For whatever reason, swimmers settle into the start position must quicker than runners do. If you watch carefully, when the swimmers get up on the blocks, right away they get very close to their set position. On take your mark, they really only move their hands down about 4 inches. Everyone gets settled in quick and they get sent off quick. Since 1 false start is a DQ, you can't risk trying to jump the start. A good starter makes the job look trivial, and the starters did a really nice job doing so.

yeah-the swimming start rules work pretty well with limited false starts and DQ's. for what not to do, please watch the '96 Olympic Men's 100m final-9.84s of actual running and like 10 minutes of false starts and Linford Christie's DQ...

If you watch more swim meets, you will see false starts.