You can drop a cat from the Eiffel tower and it will survive.

[Prince of China]

"Parachute."

I meant without devices. Maybe scientists will find a way to make our bones turn into steel or something.

 

[TheSomeone]

quantum physics?? Good lord. It that case I would hazard to guess that the cat would neither be alive nor dead when it hit the ground.

I think it has been established I am stupid and say things I don't mean. But hey, Shrodinger proved some shit about dead and live cats.

Anyway, I'm surprised you've just declared that you've worked out the correct answer. Surely you've realised you've worked out the answer to a model (one where the cat is actually a box, which a drag coeffiecient of 1.)

Does it really matter? I got an answer close enough...

 

[Prince of China]

I still want a video to prove this.

Same here.

 

[TheSomeone]

Haven't read this entire thread, but has THIS video been posted yet?

K...not quite as high as the E-tower but eh...

That was hilarious.

 

[Prince of China]

I've seen some guy backflip off a two story building, landing and doing a summersault to break his fall. It was pretty awesome.

 

[ktimekiller]

math doesnt equal everything someone. stop trying to make math = life threads, because it does not.

also, who says cat will always land on their feet? he might twist too far, and land on their back or something, will they live then? i thought not.

 

[Feath]

Does it really matter? I got an answer close enough...

How do you know it's close enough. If you modelled a cat as a sphere, you'd get a different answer. I'm just saying that you should know the limits of what you've worked out.

 

[TheSomeone]

You're right, but at the same time, I got remotely close to what interent sources claim it to be. As a 16 year old kid the extent of my abilities only go so far, and I do acknowledge that.

 

[houndeye]

If you tie a slice of buttered bread to a cat's back, butter side up, which way will the cat land then, hmm?

</murphy>

 

[TheSomeone]

math doesnt equal everything someone. stop trying to make math = life threads, because it does not.]/quote]
I'm sorry?

also, who says cat will always land on their feet?

Proffesional scientist who have studied the way cats work and why they land on their feet.

 

[xcellerate]

Somebody has been watching that B.S. show "numbers"

 

[WhiteZero]

Mathematical theories are proven incorrent offten.
So untill a physical experiment is conducted, it's still just theroy.

 

[TheSomeone]

Somebody has been watching that B.S. show "numbers"

I don't watch TV.

And what the hell are you all on about math= life threads?

This is the only thread in which I used physics to demonstrate real-life stuff and I used real life examples to support my argument.

 

[Puzzlemaker]

I dont feel like reading through the slew of posts saying it isn't possible, but can I see the math behind it? It sounds possible if you think about it; if a cat's terminal velocity is 60 MPH, and can survive landing (On its feet) at that speed, then they could survive being thrown of any building, as long as they had enough reflexes to correct themselves in midair and land on their feet.

 

[Yuri]

You know, TheSomeone, you sure do seem to find the need to insult people when it is, in fact, yourself that has things backwards and wrong. And every time you are called on it, you turn "emo," apologize profusely, and then go on to do it all again.

Let's see your arrogance and insults...

I told that to my friends at school and most of them are kind slow.

You're a douche.

that's just retarded

Christ, posting science and math stuff here makes me realize how ignorant you all are.

You're just pissed off because I did what you couldn't even think of doing, and didn't want to beleive me to be able to do it: first-year physics.

...what?

Hum, I'm sorry but you're stupid.

And to all the retards who wouldn't beleive I derived it myself, SEE ABOVE.

Okay, now let's see what you got wrong...

I derived it myself to test it out using quantum physics. It's really easy if you know any physics.

Quantum physics? You didn't use quantum physics, unless you're using the word "quantum" to mean "quantity." I guess you did use quantities to determine your solution. However, the term "quantum physics" doesn't refer to that.

Yes... that doesn't counter my point, they are being pulled at the same rate. But a penny and an elephant won't fall at the same velocity in a vaccum.

Yes, they would. The same, exact velocity.

Of course weight matters, it's what accelerates us downwards.

No. No it isn't. Force is the only thing that accelerates anything. Gravity is a form of force. Air resistance is also a form of force. Weight is actually the product of the mass of an object and a gravitational force.


Ohh, time to feel bad for you!

You're right, I realized that, my bad.

I think it has been established I am stupid and say things I don't mean.

Well, WELL! Let's all feel bad for you, cuz at least you were nice and pleasant when people disagreed with your poor use of terminology and manners! No, wait, no you weren't! Actually, you were a total jackass to everyone who disagreed with you!


I'm not disagreeing about the cat. Actually, I'm sure that you're right. Cats are great at landing on their feet and slowing their falls. However, one simple equation never, ever solves a theoretical problem like this.

 

[TheSomeone]

You know, TheSomeone, you sure do seem to find the need to insult people when it is, in fact, yourself that has things backwards and wrong. And every time you are called on it, you turn "emo," apologize profusely, and then go on to do it all again.

:|

I read your whole post...

Does that mean it's too late to apologize? Because if it isn't, I'm sorry I acted like an asshole, and I certainly don't ask for pity. And if it is... You'd rather have me act like an asshole and not feel sorry for it?

 

[Puzzlemaker]

Its probobly true, though. Do you watch mythbusters? If so, did you see the "Penny of the empire state building" myth they cracked?

Same concept.

 

[Ikerous]

Same concept.

Did the penny die?

 

[Adabiviak]

lol - I caught this topic a bit late. I can't believe what sometimes passes for math/physics skills around here. That equation looks a bit Newtonian to me, something about falling objects? I'd also recommend a closer look at exactly what is proposed here and what is (?) proven. Never these twain shall meet.

 

[TheSomeone]

F ck, I managed to make myself look like an ass-jester again. Can we delete this junk?

BTW eres, I'm flattered you took your time to lecture me with all those quotes.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

I still want a video to prove this.

well, math was never my strong point...so, yeah a video is neccessary
for the record: i'd feel sorry for the poor kitteh

edit:

F ck, I managed to make myself look like an ass-jester again. Can we delete this junk?

look? hmm..some would believe you are one...but thats another story :E

 

[Puzzlemaker]

The penny DIDN'T die. In fact, a penny falling from the empire state building CANNOT break your skin, despite common belief. It just doesn't have enough mass.

Same concept with the cat, I would think, IF a cat can survive at those speeds. If they could survive falling from thier max velocity, then no matter how high a building you throw them from they should be fine.

 

[Yuri]

F ck, I managed to make myself look like an ass-jester again. Can we delete this junk?

Maybe that's cuz you are an ass-jester (ass-jester...?), and I don't understand how it would be fair to delete this thread.

BTW eres, I'm flattered you took your time to lecture me with all those quotes.

I love my job. And I laugh at your attempt to insult me through your "apology."

 

[Adabiviak]

A penny being able to break the skin when falling from the Empire State Building has more to do with it's speed than mass. It (apparently) doesn't gain enough speed with this fall to break one's skin. However, if shot from a cleverly-designed weapon, I'm sure a penny would break the skin. It's the lack of speed, not lack of mass, that makes it less formidable when falling from a building.

 

[Puzzlemaker]

Um.

Drop a bowling ball. That would break the skin, or at least crush them, probobly breaking the skin SOMEwhere on them in the process.

A penny would not.

Mass is important!

 

[Nat Turner]

Yeah to find the final velocity, you'd have to make an advanced computer simulation I bet. You'd have to factor in the fact that the acceleration changes while the cat is orienting, and you'd need more info than it's simple total surface area.

 

[Yuri]

Um.

Drop a bowling ball. That would break the skin, or at least crush them, probobly breaking the skin SOMEwhere on them in the process.

A penny would not.

Mass is important!

Dude...

Anything will break your skin if its going fast enough. Even Jell-O. Think of a bullet. Or shrapnel.

It needs enough force to break your skin. That's why bowling balls don't need to go as fast to hurt you. Pennies just need to go extremely, extremely fast, because they have a very small mass. The force is a direct relationship between the speed of the object and the mass of the object.

To break skin, you need to overcome a certain force in a certain area. Pennies need to go faster to acheive this same force as a bowling ball because of the mass difference between the two.

However, things that are very light are affected by wind resistance a lot more, which is probably why it won't kill you if it falls from the Empire State Building.

Yeah to find the final velocity, you'd have to make an advanced computer simulation I bet. You'd have to factor in the fact that the acceleration changes while the cat is orienting, and you'd need more info than it's simple total surface area.

You would probably need to test it, actually. A lot of times, too, with very similar cats each time. :angel:

It's waaayy more complicated than one simple equation, though.

 

[WhiteZero]

Its probobly true, though. Do you watch mythbusters? If so, did you see the "Penny of the empire state building" myth they cracked?

Same concept.

Well... not really... since a penny is copper, and cat is fleash and bone.

The concept of the penny drop was if the penny would have enough force to puncture fleash or crack a sidewalk. This is pretty different, seeing if a small animal could withstant impact at it's terminal velocity.

 

[OCybrManO]

now tell me how to code SPE's for the PS3

Unlike the PS2, where you had to often dip into assembly to get really efficient results... PS3 code is written in C (C++ is also supported, but I don't remember how much of it). The compiler takes care of the rest, albeit with the option of manually tweaking the results if optimization is necessary. The bigger factors are how well you can code an asynchronous multi-threaded application, how branchy your code is (the PS3 and Xbox 360 processors don't have the highly sophisticated branch prediction seen in desktop CPUs), and how efficiently you manage the cache or local stores (memory calls can waste 100 CPU cycles, so keeping thrashing to a minimum is important). Now, if you'll excuse me... I'm going to go back to playing Mario Kart DS. :E

 

[Glirk Dient]

I am not sure what numbers you put into your equation...why or what formula that even is. It is difficult to tell. If you are trying to figure out the speed at which the cat falls you are wrong. You may be lucky and have gotten a close answer but your method is off.

To figure out the speed at which a cat falls will be pretty easy. Drop a cat from a pre defined height and time how long it takes to hit the ground.

Say the cat was dropped from 500 feet and it took 20 seconds to hit the ground. Here are the equations we will use.

v2=v1-g(t2-t1)

x2=x1+vave(t2-t1)

where vave=1/2(v2+v1) is the average velocity of the cat during its flight.

If we substitute in vave and then eliminate v2, we are left with:

v1=1/2 g(t2-t1)+2(x2-x1)/((t2-t1)

So to put it all together and substitute the numbers...

v1=1/2(9.8m/s/s)(20s)+2(0m-500m)/(20s)=98m/s+(-)50ms=-48m/s

So now that we have the equation to use we need someone to throw a cat off a building and time it.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Please, please, nobody test this theorem.

Unless you're really sure. :<

 

[Glirk Dient]

Please, please, nobody test this theorem.

Unless you're really sure. :<

At this point were not testing if it will survive...we are testing the terminal velocity of a cat to see if it's fur/skin really has an effect. If it does the terminal velocity would be lower than...say a ball or some other object with little air resistance. The survival of the cat is secondary.

 

[Sulkdodds]

This research is unethical.

 

[Glirk Dient]

This research is unethical.

Alright...we have out object to test against a cat. All we need is a cat and we will throw sulkdodds and the cat off a building at the same time and see which lands first. If they survive it just means we get to do a second run of the experiment for validity.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Well, the cat will land first because I have very baggy trousers.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

But fabulous.

 

[pomegranate]

Okay seeing as some people seem too ****ing retarded to connect to clauses in seperate sentences, I will try and make things clearer: Mass makes no difference to terminal velocity.
Yes, higher mass will mean higher acceleration. But something lighter will eventually reach the same terminal velocity, it will just take longer than something heavier.
Re parachute: re-read my post idiot. One person with a parachute is not the same shape as 100 people on one parachute. Hence the latter will have different aerodynamic properties.

 

[clarky003]

lol, at this thread, there is no way a cat would survive a flat out fall from the height of the ifle tower without a parachute or some kind of jet pack, wham splat kitty comes to mind. not to mention if you just drop it from the top it would be almost totally unpredictable, the kitty would hit and bounch off the structure on the way down because of its shape, flying off in certain direction's depending on the spin rate of the cat if it does start to spin and struggle in the air.

 

[OCybrManO]

Okay seeing as some people seem too ****ing retarded to connect to clauses in seperate sentences, I will try and make things clearer: Mass makes no difference to terminal velocity.
Yes, higher mass will mean higher acceleration. But something lighter will eventually reach the same terminal velocity, it will just take longer than something heavier.
Re parachute: re-read my post idiot. One person with a parachute is not the same shape as 100 people on one parachute. Hence the latter will have different aerodynamic properties.

The same size & shape but with a different mass will change the terminal velocity. How? Terminal velocity is the point at which the upward force of wind resistance (and bouyancy, but that's not as important) becomes equal to the downward force of gravity. When opposing forces are equal the net force on the object is... the zero vector... and, thus, there is no more acceleration. Now, if you just change the mass... while the upward force (at a given speed) of the wind resistance would remain constant, the counter-acting force caused by gravity would change. If one force changes and one force stays the same, the net force on the object would change, as well. Finally, wind resistance increases as the speed increases. If the object is made heavier... that means the gravitational force is increased... and the object will accelerate downward until the wind resistance increases (caused by an increase in speed) enough to return to the zero vector. See? Mass does matter.

 

[Steven]

"Youre hella retarded, a cat wouldn't survive"
"Yes, it can only fall at a certain speed, and it can land from that speed, so why would it make a difference if he fell from 10m or 200m"
"CUZ ITS A LOT HIGHER STOOPID"

Sounds like people I go to school with.