In time for halloween. Learning to fly (as in throwing yourself against the ground and missing)
This might be handy, if you happen to be dressed up as a ghost or flying superhero or bat, etc – the SCQ has a piece up today, that goes over the physics of learning to fly, a la Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In other words, the piece takes a look at some of the Newtonian physics needed to “throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
It’s quite well done, because it goes through the premise a single concept at a time (the above image for instance noting how to do it to fly for 1 second, and noting the caveat that since you accelerate as you fall, you need some more thinking to work out how to fly “indefinitely.”
Anyway, worth a look.
2 Responses to “In time for halloween. Learning to fly (as in throwing yourself against the ground and missing)”
Doesn’t he violate rule one in his ultimate explanation? I mean…that would be one hell of a high tower he would have to jump off of.
I think he meant if you flung yourself horizontally at that defined velocity, you should be good to go. i.e. if I took a running jump where my lift-off speed was equivalent to the final number I should be able to “fly.”
Anyway, like a true scientist, I will have a go tonight, and will report back.