my science teacher said....

[brianlojeck]

The duct tape messes up the aerodynamic forces. You need to butter the cat directly.

[TheDuelist]

If thats the case couldn't the butter induce spin? I mean a cat in a flat spin on its way to the ground is no good. It'll just auger in and there goes the experiment.

[Onryou]

but isnt that why drunk people hardly ever die in car accidents....because they arent tensed up...

a 60-90mph accident into someting that gives, like another car, is hardly the same as a terminal velocity impact into something that doesn't give, like a planet.

the human bodies in the accident have something to wrap around, rather then something to be spread out against. the force drives the body parts somewhere until they have 0 momentum. in the case of the accident, its wrapped around the internal parts of a car, in the case of the cat its spread out over the surface area of the ground. Just because the drunkards survive doesn't mean they do so unharmed.

[OysterBoy]

Thats assuming that the person/cat/giraffe remains completely still... shullbit. I dont care WHAT you are; your going to be in the position which is(at the time, appears to be) the most conducive to the least amount of damage possible. I think that a cat could survive it.. Giraffes on the other hand..

[Onryou]

but giraffes aren't renowned for their acrobatic abilities. now a manatee on the otherhand...















...er, maybe not.

[PyRo]

what kind of science teacher is this? If it is a high school science teacher, they likely dont know what they are talking about.

One of my high school science teachers was a rocket scientist and hence smart. She used to work for nasa on satalites. She was pretty well off and could be retired but she just loved teaching.

[OysterBoy]

One of my high school science teachers was a rocket scientist and hence smart. She used to work for nasa on satalites. She was pretty well off and could be retired but she just loved teaching.

My advice is to ignore this person. A teacher is where they are because they are qualified to be so, and know what they are talking about.

[slade]

there is some truth to that.

if a cat jumps, like in that video, the cat is prepared and wont die or be injured in most circumstances. however, if a cat falls, is pushed, etc. and is unprepared, it is different. from a small height the cat will not have time to wright itself before hitting the ground, but its a short fall so it wont matter. there is a certain point where the cat will not have enough time to wright itself, and may hit the ground on its back or side etc, and it will be a large enough fall that the cat will be injured. at an even higher height, the cat will have time to wright itself and arch its back spread its paws, relax etc. this will absorb the shock and allow the cat to survive a large fall. of course, even if the cat has enough time to prepare, a large enough fall will always end with

[SpitFire1299]

When i was like 4, i dropped my cat about 1 1/2 story down my stairs. He survived. Actually hes sitting on my lap.

[Rather]

One of my high school science teachers was a rocket scientist and hence smart. She used to work for nasa on satalites. She was pretty well off and could be retired but she just loved teaching.

My physics teach was talking something about thermite grenades... and how he had a few made.... hehehe Also said things about making a RPG to destroy a wall (when everyone elses mabey took out a chunk of it or a single brick, he took out the rest of the wall)

Wewt for fresh out of college lazy destructive rocket scientists!

I think pyro would love his crazy destructive mind. I know i have a special place for that FF nerd.

[PyRo]

My advice is to ignore this person. A teacher is where they are because they are qualified to be so, and know what they are talking about.

Yes, I can build satalites but not teach basics physics and chemistry...

[ScatterPlot]

You know, flying saucers work on this very principle. The engines that give it lift are simply 2 cats stuck back to back- hence the humming sound people seem to hear. Jetpacks could be made with the aforementioned buttered cat idea, but not something as big as a flying saucer.

Buttered cats=2 stroke engines
Doubled cats=4 stroke engines
Quad cats= Turbo diesel

[Bad_Dog]

Test it

hahahahahahahaha

So if a cat is dropped from 11 inches, it will most likely die.

bwahahahahahahaha hahahahahaha hahahahahaha

(depends on whether you're dropping it into a woodchipper )




I hate cats with a passon!

[Hasty8]

http://forum.butteredcat.co.uk/viewtopic.php?id=2

Another thread debating this type of argument.

I like Flangemaster's test.

Okay, this guy has far too much free time.

http://helix.gatech.edu/Classes/ME3760/1998Q3/Projects/Nguyen/

I will say though, that this invocles math and the guy's name appears Asian so he must be right!

And this site seems a bit more professional.

http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae411.cfm

[slade]

from hasty8's last link:

[QUOTE]Animal experts say that this instinct is observable in kittens as young as three to four weeks[QUOTE]
now what kind of sadistic maniac drops 3 week old kittens as an experiment?! at three weeks old a kitten can barely walk, yet someone is trying to drop them to see if they can twist themselves around and land on their feet?!

you know, i think im going to start doing the same experiment with human infants. ill just break into a nursery at night. "hmm, 'robert,' three weeks old. lets see if you can turn over and land on your feet if youre dropped!" THUNK! "nope, guess not bob, that looked to me like you landed on your head. hmm, 'sue,' four weeks old. ill bet youre old enough to land on your feet!"