How much energy...?
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How much energy...?

 
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spioradsaor
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Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 11
Location: Inverclyde

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:08 am    Post subject: How much energy...? Reply with quote

Does a bird like a goldfinch use/need to fly from the ground to a branch in a tree..ten feet high. (No imponderables like wind etc...just from ground to tree....


Daft question, but I want to know, or can anyone point me to where I can find out.

Thanks in anticipation Shocked
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Wildlifewriter
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Joined: 04 Aug 2005
Posts: 948
Location: Norn Iron

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know how you would even begin to work this out.

There have been a number of papers published on energy expenditure of bird flight, but the only ones I've seen refer to level flight over extended periods - in other words, migration. The results are inferred by weighing trapped birds at each end of their journey (or at feeding stops) and measuring how much body fat they've lost.

I don't think this would work for your goldfinch, since he's only flying for a couple of seconds.

You could try reading THIS PAPER, (pdf) which might give some insights. (Note: it is extremely boring.)

-Wlw.
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spioradsaor
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Joined: 21 Sep 2005
Posts: 11
Location: Inverclyde

PostPosted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for that..........The reason for the question is that the wee lassie next door is doing a project in physics...and wanted to try and base it on something different....So she came up with this......

Maybe she should base it on acceleration or something.... Shocked


Thanks again. i'll have a wee read.
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Wildlifewriter
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Joined: 04 Aug 2005
Posts: 948
Location: Norn Iron

PostPosted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

spioradsaor wrote:
Maybe she should base it on acceleration or something.... Shocked

When I was at school (years and years and years ago, this was) my chosen experiment was to see how often a glass marble, dropped from a measured height onto a tiled floor, would bounce before coming to rest.

The apparatus was set up, careful notes were taken, the marley fell...

... and smashed into a million pieces on impact.

End of experiment. Scientific conclusion: glass is more fragile than it looks. Crying or Very sad


-Wlw.
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wuthered
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Joined: 29 Aug 2005
Posts: 51
Location: Co Down

PostPosted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We had an experiment which was to measure the atmospheric pressure using a column of water, rather than the more normal mercury. This meant we had to construct a vertical glass tube 3 stories high suspended over the top bannister of a spiral staircase. To do this we acquired every piece of glass tubing in the school and connected them together with rubber tubing. (I can imagine you are getting ahead of me in this story) We successfully constructed the column and each pupil then stepped forward to suck as much water up the column as possible before passing it to the next person. It was on my turn that the whole contraption disintegrated with broken glass flying in all directions, to the great delight of everyone except our physics teacher. But I have always understood atmospheric pressure since that day.
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