Slashdot Mirror


Airspeed Velocity Of An Unladen Swallow

An anonymous reader writes "Finally, the question is answered: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? A designer with too much time on his hands uses his new method for graphically representing Strouhal numbers to clarify a truly pressing question for all armchair zoologists (and a few Monty Python fans)."

52 of 321 comments (clear)

  1. Had to be said... by Max+Romantschuk · · Score: 4, Funny

    NONE! ... Shall pass...

    --
    .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
    1. Re:Had to be said... by azzy · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's what my University tutor used to say about the exams :(

  2. WoW ! by cablepokerface · · Score: 5, Funny

    A 54-year survey of 26,285 European Swallows captured and released by the Avian Demography Unit of the University of Capetown finds that the average adult European swallow has a wing length of 12.2 cm and a body mass of 20.3 grams.

    54 years? That's amazing, i think I could copy that research with a shotgun, a measuring tool and a free sunday afternoon.

    1. Re:WoW ! by Vexar · · Score: 2, Funny
      That's an immense amount of ammo there, mister! I think more accurately, you could reach the same wing length and mass measurements with fewer samples.

      If you have a free afternoon and feel up to killing 26,000 avians, may I humbly recommend the Canada Goose? Several US States kill or displace thousands every year, costing several dollars per goose, which is paid by taxpayers. The geese border on pestilence now. Just TRY to walk across an office parking lot next to a lawn without stepping on a goose or their "fertilizer" waste-product.

      I can just imagine the Egyptian Pharoah, faced with a North American set of ten plagues, including mosquitos, geese, and tornadoes. He would have backed down by #5 for sure. "I can't take any more of this crap, your people may go!"

  3. Entirely too ambiguous! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    Finally, the question is answered: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
    Well, was it a European or an African swallow??
    1. Re:Entirely too ambiguous! by euxneks · · Score: 3, Funny

      What?? I don't know that.. I didn't read the articaaaaaAAAAAAAHHH!

      --
      in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
  4. African or European? by whizzzo · · Score: 1, Funny

    More research needed.

  5. Finally.. by Takara · · Score: 5, Funny
    I decided to try to answer one of the timeless questions of science: just what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow

    Yes, finally someone had the balls to answer this question that has been wracking the minds of scientists for ages!

    Someone get this man a nobel.

    1. Re:Finally.. by Mattcelt · · Score: 2, Funny

      Next up... figure out how to employ sheeps' bladders to prevent earthquakes.

    2. Re:Finally.. by Walterk · · Score: 1, Funny

      Yes, but is the Earth banana shaped? Certainly does seem to make sense.

  6. for some reason it doesn't sit well with me by seringen · · Score: 2, Funny

    While the intentions are good, the only truly elegant answers for a question like this would be a related to "42" While a laden swallow would most likely be "69" - one can only guess how it would be unladen

    1. Re:for some reason it doesn't sit well with me by NoOneInParticular · · Score: 3, Funny

      The article ends with an answer of roughly 11 meter per second. Given some a priori reasoning about the universality of the metric system and the Answer, we can deduce that the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow quite likely is a bit higher, namely 11 2/3 meter per second. This comfortably equates to 42 kilometers per hour, and the circle is closed.

  7. Re:It's the European swallow by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 2, Funny

    No way. An african swallow maybe, but they're not talking 'bout a european swallow.

    --
    "I only speak the truth"
    Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
  8. Re:Don't give the numbers... by mseeger · · Score: 4, Funny
    I hate to say it, but this is one of those things like the explanation of where the immortals in Highlander came from -- we didn't actually want to know.

    That's not the point. If seek out the most forgotten cave and you install there a switch with the inscription "Doomsday switch - Press here to destroy earth", it's only a matter of time till someone comes by and presses it.

    Humans are curious like young cats. And the /.'ers are the worst of all ;-).

    Regards, Martin

  9. Okay, that's 2 questiones answered by 91degrees · · Score: 5, Funny

    But what is your favourite colour?

    1. Re:Okay, that's 2 questiones answered by Nplugd · · Score: 1, Funny

      Actuallay, would you have RTFA, you'd have seen that the author's favorite color is blue.

      You're welcome :)

      --
      Je n'ai pas d'avenir Je n'ai qu'un destin Celui de n'être qu'un souvenir C'est pour demain
    2. Re:Okay, that's 2 questiones answered by WildFire42 · · Score: 3, Funny

      I can just see the Perl monks coming by, in full regalia, smacking their heads on O'Reilly books and singing that stupid chant from Monty Python, now that this has been answered.

  10. Obligatory.. by adeyadey · · Score: 1, Funny

    So what is the speed of 2 swallows, if they are carrying a 1lb coconut strung on a strand of creeper vine held under their dorsal guiding feathers? We need to know! .. Who's that, then? I dunno. Must be a king. Why? He hasn't got shit all over him.

    --
    "You lied to me! There is a Swansea!"
  11. It's right at the bottom of the page by WegianWarrior · · Score: 4, Funny

    Blue

    --
    Everything in the world is controlled by a small, evil group to which, unfortunately, no one you know belongs.
    1. Re:It's right at the bottom of the page by Tumbleweed · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, green! *AHHHHHH!*

      You know, the best thing about this article is that it's uncontaminated by cheese.

    2. Re:It's right at the bottom of the page by bobthemuse · · Score: 2, Funny

      Wait, no, red!

  12. And now for something completely different by orthancstone · · Score: 5, Funny

    For his next article, can he tell us if the parrot is dead?

    1. Re:And now for something completely different by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 2, Funny

      Without opening the box, only within certain probability.

      --
      "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
      Never been known to fail..."
  13. the air speed of an unladen swallow? 42 ft/sec! by zuzulo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now that we finally know the right question to match the ultimate answer, I suppose the universe can end.

    Somehow it does not surprise me that Douglas Adams and the Monty Python crew are the secret masters of the universe. ;-)

    --
    "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
  14. Thank you, captain obvious! by Theranthrope · · Score: 2, Funny

    You have saved us all!

  15. Follow on question by maroberts · · Score: 0, Funny

    What do you load swallows up with so they are laden swallows?

    --

    Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
    Karma: Chameleon

  16. Readers Digest Holy Grail (condensed) by adeyadey · · Score: 1, Funny

    The Readers Digest Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
    ---
    What? A swallow carrying a coconut?
    It could grip it by the husk!
    It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut!

    Who's that, then?
    I dunno. Must be a king.
    Why?
    He hasn't got shit all over him.

    Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Help! Help! I'm being repressed!

    'Tis but a scratch.
    A scratch? Your arm's off!
    No, it isn't.

    She turned me into a newt!
    A newt?
    Er.. I got better..

    We dine well here in Camelot.
    We eat ham and jam and spam a lot.

    I don't wanna talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!

    Run away!

    Oh, I am afraid our life must seem very dull and quiet compared to yours. We are but eight score young blondes and brunettes, all between sixteen and nineteen- and- a- half, cut off in this castle with no one to protect us. Oooh. It is a lonely life: bathing, dressing, undressing, making exciting underwear..

    We are the Knights Who Say... 'Ni'!

    Well, what is it you want?
    We want... a shrubbery!

    ---
    Continued next issue..

    --
    "You lied to me! There is a Swansea!"
  17. Inside Knowledge... by danielrm26 · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is so cool. Now, the next time we put Holy Grail in the DVD player, I can watch the scene and be like,

    "Actually, that's not correct."

    If there were any chicks at these MP parties, I am sure it would go over well.

    --
    dmiessler.com -- grep understanding knowledge
  18. No problem! by Haeleth · · Score: 4, Funny

    11 m/s is approximately 21 knots. So the combined airspeed of two European swallows is... (drumroll) 42 knots.

  19. Re:If there was ever a day to RTFA.... by TelcusFreshbreeze · · Score: 0, Funny
    They've basically come up with a simple formula to describe efficient flight for all animals, regardless of size.

    So now we can answer that other age old question of how efficient is the flight of a wooden cow?

  20. Those responsible ... by rob_au · · Score: 5, Funny
    Those responsible for the posting of this link and subsequent slashdotting of the site have been sacked.

    The site has now been mirrored by karma whores on numerous different hosts at great expense and at the last minute.

  21. Re:It's the European swallow by rob_au · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't wait until someone who gets moderated down in this discussion cries out - "Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" - and decries the "violence inherent in the system".

  22. Re:If there was ever a day to RTFA.... by PerspexAvenger · · Score: 1, Funny

    I suspect the arbitrary flight efficiency number will approximate -9.81, somehow...

  23. I'll give it a try by The-Bus · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Look my liege! Charts describing Strouhal numbers and swallows!"
    *trumpets*
    "Charts!"
    "Charts!"
    "It' s only a model."
    "Shhh!"

    --

    Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.

  24. Re:It's the European swallow by ferkelparade · · Score: 5, Funny

    Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of moderation!

    --
    frotz grue
  25. For the Monty Python Ignorant.... by linuxrunner · · Score: 4, Funny

    GUARD #1: Where'd you get the coconut?
    ARTHUR: We found them.
    GUARD #1: Found them? In Mercea? The coconut's tropical!
    ARTHUR: What do you mean?
    GUARD #1: Well, this is a temperate zone.
    ARTHUR: The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plumber may seek warmer climes in winter yet these are not strangers to our land.
    GUARD #1: Are you suggesting coconuts are migratory?
    ARTHUR: Not at all, they could be carried.
    GUARD #1: What -- a swallow carrying a coconut?
    ARTHUR: It could grip it by the husk!
    GUARD #1: It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a 1 pound coconut.
    ARTHUR: Well, it doesn't matter. Will you go and tell your master that Arthur from the Court of Camelot is here.
    GUARD #1: Listen, in order to maintain air-speed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings 43 times every second, right?
    ARTHUR: Please!
    GUARD #1: Am I right?
    ARTHUR: I'm not interested!
    GUARD #2: It could be carried by an African swallow!
    GUARD #1: Oh, yeah, an African swallow maybe, but not a European swallow, that's my point.
    GUARD #2: Oh, yeah, I agree with that...
    ARTHUR: Will you ask your master if he wants to join my court at Camelot?!
    GUARD #1: But then of course African swallows are not migratory.
    GUARD #2: Oh, yeah...
    GUARD #1: So they couldn't bring a coconut back anyway...

    GUARD #2: Wait a minute -- supposing two swallows carried it together?
    GUARD #1: No, they'd have to have it on a line.
    GUARD #2: Well, simple! They'd just use a standard creeper!
    GUARD #1: What, held under the dorsal guiding feathers?
    GUARD #2: Well, why not?

    --
    www.slightlycrewed.com - Because aren't we all?
  26. Re:How to lie with charts. by rogerborn · · Score: 3, Funny

    Do they have one that shows how to lie with girls?

  27. Haven't seen this yet... so here goes by blankmange · · Score: 1, Funny
    Imagine a Beowulf cluster of unladen swallows -- wouldn't that rock!

    Sorry, I just had to....

    --
    ...we are from the government - we are here to help...
    1. Re:Haven't seen this yet... so here goes by gregeth · · Score: 2, Funny

      You mean, kind of like the pigeon cluster google has?

  28. Re:What does it mean? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I don't see what Monty Python has to do with news for nerds, stuff that - Auuuuuuuugh!

  29. What?! Informative?! by ndogg · · Score: 2, Funny

    To those who got modded +1 Informative:

    NI!!!!

    (damn you people, you're killing the moment!!!)

    --
    // file: mice.h
    #include "frickin_lasers.h"
  30. Re:Don't give the numbers... by Araneas · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually it's "Ni" ;)

  31. Re:How to lie with charts. by untaken_name · · Score: 1, Funny

    Do they have one that shows how to lie with girls?

    I believe you're looking for the small, poorly-lit establishment on the edge of town. They have what you're looking for.

  32. Re:Don't give the numbers... by rolocroz · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, that's probably a more reliable source!

    --

    I meta-mod all positive moderation Unfair, because it's abuse of the system.

  33. Re:Don't give the numbers... by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2, Funny

    If the people who do liner notes for videos knew anything you'd have to accept that ObiWan Kenobi really saved Luke from the Jawas, and not the Sandpeople (Star Wars laserdisc).

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  34. Re:It's the European swallow by Fishstick · · Score: 3, Funny

    How do you know he's a moderator?

    He 'ent got shit ellover'im.

    --

    There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
    Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

  35. Re:Don't give the numbers... by Fishstick · · Score: 2, Funny

    subtitles? You realize they often use out-of-work nigerian scammers to do the transcription instead of working from the actual script.

    --

    There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
    Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

  36. Re:A matter of time? by mseeger · · Score: 2, Funny
    Like Terry Pratchett said, the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.

    Probably you would be run over and beaten afterwards by people who would complain, that the switch doesn't work. If the switch worked, they would complain too (about lax security measures) if they still could.

    Bye, Martin

  37. The other bonus question and answer by fireboy1919 · · Score: 4, Funny

    How can sheep's bladders be used to prevent earthquakes?

    Just consider the facts:
    B: What causes earthquakes?
    A: Sudden slippage along a fault line

    B: Ah, but WHY does that cause earthquakes?
    A: Because it's a lot of ground moving?

    B: No, try again.
    A: Because it doesn't slip smoothly?

    B: Yes, that's right. So...logically...
    A: We could prevent it if we got it to slip smoothly?

    B: And what do you slip on all of the time?
    A: Sheep urine?

    B: Absolutely. And where do you find sheep urine?
    A: Sheep bladders.

    B: Therefore...
    A: If we stick sheep bladders into a fault line, it'll prevent earthquakes!

    A: Thank you, Bedevere. Good insight.
    B: My pleasure, Oh King.

    --
    Mod me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!
  38. Just explain this... by yroJJory · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now if only someone explain how to chop down the largest tree in the forest using only a HERRING!

    --
    Jory
    1. Re:Just explain this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      The exact wording is "WITH a herring". The "with" could mean "using only", or just "accompanied by". Chopping down a tree using an axe, while one of the other knights holds a herring nearby, would comparatively easier.

  39. Re:A matter of time? by WildFire42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Probably you would be run over and beaten afterwards by people who would complain, that the switch doesn't work. If the switch worked, they would complain too (about lax security measures) if they still could

    So, you mean you'd hear complaints from slashdotters? /me ducks.