Jump to content

Physics: Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow


Guttermouth

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Anyone ever taken a physics class? Anyone think they might be able to help? This equation keeps fucking with me. The answers they give me are dead wrong. Here it is:

 

"Question - What is the average air speed of a swallow?"

"answer - Airspeed can be predicted using a published formula. By inverting this midpoint Strouhal ratio of 0.3 (fA/U ? 0.3), Graham K. Taylor et al. show that as a rule of thumb, the speed of a flying animal is roughly 3 times frequency times amplitude (U ? 3fA).5

 

We now need only plug in the numbers:

 

U ? 3fA

f ? 15 (beats per second)

A ? 0.22 (meters per beat)

U ? 3*15*0.22 ? 9.9

the airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is 10 meters per second

 

 

Shit is starting to piss me off. I feel dumb. :facepalm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Anyone ever taken a physics class? Anyone think they might be able to help? This equation keeps fucking with me. The answers they give me are dead wrong. Here it is:


"Question - What is the average air speed of a swallow?"

"answer - Airspeed can be predicted using a published formula. By inverting this midpoint Strouhal ratio of 0.3 (fA/U ? 0.3), Graham K. Taylor et al. show that as a rule of thumb, the speed of a flying animal is roughly 3 times frequency times amplitude (U ? 3fA).5


We now need only plug in the numbers:


U ? 3fA

f ? 15 (beats per second)

A ? 0.22 (meters per beat)

U ? 3*15*0.22 ? 9.9

the airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is 10 meters per second



Shit is starting to piss me off. I feel dumb.
:facepalm:

 

You're forgetting drag co-efficient and other atmospheric factors...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Although a definitive answer would of course require further measurements, published species-wide averages of wing length and body mass, initial Strouhal estimates based on those averages and cross-species comparisons, the Lund wind tunnel study of birds flying at a range of speeds, and revised Strouhal numbers based on that study all lead me to estimate that the average cruising airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is roughly 11 meters per second, or 24 miles an hour

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Easy problem.

The European swallows traded coconuts to the African swallows for jewelry. Then they migrated. You ovbiously have European swallows here.

No need to thank me.

 

 

An 'I don't know' would have worked.

 

 

 

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

An 'I don't know' would have worked.

 

 

Mr. Hand: Food will be eaten on YOUR time. Why are you continuously late for this class, Mr. Spicoli? Why do you shamelessly waste my time like this?

Jeff Spicoli: [long pause, but then with complete truth in his answer] I don't know.

Mr. Hand: [Mr. Hand goes to blackboard and writes the words 'I Don't Know', then underlines them]

[reciting]

Mr. Hand: I like that. 'I Don't Know.' That's nice.

[imitating]

Mr. Hand: 'Mr. Hand, will I pass this class?' Gee, Mr. Spicoli, I don't know! You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to leave your words right up here for all my classes to enjoy, giving you full credit of course, Mr. Spicoli.

Jeff Spicoli: All right!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...