I smell a future IgNobel.
Scientists have calculated the optimal strategy for throwing something accurately - whether it's a dart or a crumpled-up piece of paper. US researchers say the slow-is-more-accurate rule generally applies.
In a series of calculations, they looked at the physics behind releasing a projectile with the human arm. Their equations suggest a slow but accurate throw is the best strategy for getting a piece of paper into a nearby bin.
Lead researcher Madhusudhan Venkadesan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Yale University, said faster throws tend to be less accurate. This is because the ball travels in a nearly straight line, so any errors in the angle at which the object is released tend to be amplified. In slow and curved flight paths, small errors in the angle of release have little effect, he said.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39712282
Next.. the electro quantum dynamics of fart propagation 😀
ReplyDeleteTHE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW !!!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of an old analysis originally done by Edmond Halley (Newton's friend and benefactor) for finding the angle and minimum initial velocity of a cannonball to hit a target above a cannon, say on a hill. The analysis was done with calculus and the angle, amazingly, is the average of the line of sight angle to the target, and 90 degrees! Paul Nahin's "perfect basketball shot" in his "When Least is Best" book.
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