Stone Skipping the Scientific Way

Quirk writes "National Geographic has a bit on the scientific analysis of stone skipping. Using a machine launching aluminum disks Lyderic Bocquet, a physics professor at the University of Lyon, and his colleagues discovered the 'magic angle' of 20 degrees as that required to maximize skipping. 'Jerdone Coleman McGhee of Wimberley, Texas, holds the current Guinness Book of World Records title for a 1992 toss that yielded an impressive 38 bounces across the Blanco River in central Texas'"

Comments

To all the Minnesota geeks

[teamhasnoi]

and others who visit, if you are into stone skipping, Lake Superior is the place to go.

Zillions of years of waves busting up the tough rocks has polished them all smooth and flat. This makes for some of the best skipping stones ever. We're talking about an endless supply here.

Some of the piles I've seen reach 3 to 4 feet in height and run for hundreds of yards down the beach; all made up of beautiful rocks. If you're lucky you can find some other nifty stuff like beach glass or driftwood. And not so nifty stuff, like dead fish and RIAA jackets.

Re:Just wondering . . .

[Senator_B]

I believe the water would have been most dense (in its liquid form) right before it freezes. It would make sense that this would lead to easier bouncing, but I haven't read the article yet. It could be explained there.

Re:Just wondering . . .

[uberdave]

3.97 C

Re:Did NSF fund this?

[KrispyKringle]

I doubt it. It was done by some French scientists. So I doubt your congressman should care.

Original Paper

[otisaardvark]

http://arxiv.org/pdf/physics/0210015

Warning: not for the faint-hearted!

Go to the source

[A nonymous Coward]

Here is a news article in the science journal which has the original report.

old news

[alex_ant]

the allies figured this out in ww2. Nazi dam bombing

Re:Umm why?

[momerath2003]

Pay attention, and RTFA:

Using the machine, which launches aluminum discs across a pool of water, the researchers arrived at the "magic angle" of 20 degrees.

Re:Just wondering . . .

[istartedi]

And if the lake is small, and the ice is thin, it makes some interesting noises. I usually look forward to doing this once or twice a winter on Lake Accotink, which is actually a former reservoir. The noises are kindof like a cross between the guy-wire hitting sound used to make Star Wars laser noises and the "plip" from those old coffee commercials. YMMV.