There were some very funny responses from people taking Brian Cox’s joke very seriously indeed
It began when the always followable QI feed tweeted this.
8,000 years ago, Britain had so many trees that a squirrel could go from John O’Groats to Land’s End without touching the ground.
— Quite Interesting (@qikipedia) June 23, 2019
It obviously caught the eye of Professor Brian Cox who thought he’d have a bit of fun with it.
It still can given a sufficiently powerful canon. https://t.co/gawFVFfSJ8
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) June 24, 2019
*cannon.
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) June 24, 2019
And it was made so much better by people who took the science of it rather seriously than Cox presumably intended. Well, he IS a professor.
What’s the longest range of any artillery gun? Surely less than 970km? (Putting aside the structural integrity of squirrels that is, tho even if encapsulated the G forces would marmalise it, right?)
— Paul Johns (@pdmjohns) June 24, 2019
Yes. It’s not a practical suggestion I’ll grant you – perhaps an interesting calculation though. You may assume a spherical and frictionless squirrel.
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) June 24, 2019
We’re looking at a muzzle velocity of around 3100m/s then, delivering a wad of frictionless ex-squirrel in under 8 minutes. Assuming a 300g squirrel, I think you’d need equivalent of 350g of TNT to accelerate it to that speed. I don’t know how long a barrel would be required.
— Paul Johns (@pdmjohns) June 24, 2019
Thank you. Does the squirrel become supersonic inside the barrel? We may have to take that into account.
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) June 24, 2019
But I’m pretty sure it doesn’t want to.
— NYPinTA (@NYPinTA) June 24, 2019
This is an in principle discussion.
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) June 24, 2019
I wanna see you try and get a squirrel in a cannon though now. Uh, in principle.
— NYPinTA (@NYPinTA) June 24, 2019
It could be in a little spaceship.
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) June 24, 2019
I’m almost certain it would deliver squirrel pate, given the necessary acceleration. Given that squirrels are fuzzy and thus have high wind resistance, it might need to be tinned squirrel pate.
— Uditha Desilva🌹#PCPEU #GTTO #NHSLove (@Uditha_Desilva) June 24, 2019
I’m not saying it shouldn’t be inside some sort of capsule.
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) June 24, 2019
Technically not sure this is true Brian. The drag increases with the square of the fluffy creature velocity. E.g. If you ever want to shoot a squirrel as it swims under water my advise is use a low velocity gun rather than high velocity thus kill that little sucker dead!
— UK PEOPLES POPULARISM (UKPP) (@jimbarn52344110) June 24, 2019
I’m happy for us to consider a spherical frictionless squirrel.
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) June 24, 2019
But that still wasn’t the end of it.
Northern European red squirrel or Eastern Grey? There’s a size difference.
— SJ (@JonesJonesy1968) June 24, 2019
Damn.
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) June 24, 2019
To conclude …
Came here for all the cruelty to animals comments. Got a load of physics chat. NOT DISAPPOINTED
— Ange Perrott (@GoAngeNI) June 24, 2019
Oh, and this.
Ok, ready! pic.twitter.com/bCZGwSNIUi
— PurpleSilk (@HoliH1) June 24, 2019
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