Tuesday, October 4, 2016

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

I take attendance by having the students answer a question.

This one might have been very cultural-reference-specific, but... I honestly want to know.

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
  • African or European?
Okay, I deserved that. Other answers included:
  • 2
  • 3.00*10^8 m/s
  • 3
  • 50 minutes (one algorithms class)
  • c=2.78*10^8 m/s
  • 10mph
  • 574mph
  • -9.8m/s
  • 5
  • 12 knots
  • 20mph west
  • depends on mass of coconut
  • 25mph, depending on African or European
I'm worried by the units (or lack thereof) on some of those answers.

And on a less quantitative level:
  • What's an unladen swallow?
  • as fast as it can dream
  • The swallow is the center of the universe. All moves relative to it.
  • very fast
  • Will this be on the exam?
  • faster than me
  • impossible to measure


This post's theme word placentious (adj), "pleasing or inclined to please." The students are placentious indeed.

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