• Thornburywitch@aussie.zone
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    2 days ago

    A question that’s been bothering me over the weekend. Have been utterly stumped by it, so asking here if anyone has clarification to offer.

    question

    How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood?

    I’ve been trying to figure how many kilos/grammes per metre but if you want to answer in pounds shillings and ounces that’s fine with me.

    • Force_majeure123@aussie.zone
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      2 days ago

      Not very much. Their arms are tiny. Average weight of woodchuck is 3.9kg. if we look at a human (agile, long arms comparitively), and perhaps use the weight of a hammer (like from hammer throw competition), which is 16kg, and AVG human weight in hammer throw… maybe 90kg? That’s gets us 17.7% of weight. Transfer to groundhogs that’s about 700g, BUT their short arms surely like t this a lot. I’ll say at least by 75%. Which leads to: 175g. A woodchuck could chuck 175g, if a woodchuck could chuck wood

        • Force_majeure123@aussie.zone
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          2 days ago

          Well jeez what if it was in outer space in zero gravity? It could chuck all the wood then - whether or not it ate vegemite for breakfast

      • TheWitchofThornbury2@aussie.zone
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        2 days ago

        This pretty close to the best answer I came up with. BUT. Woodchucks are rodents, not monkey-ancestor brachiators like us. So their shoulder and arm assembly is geared to grip & gather, not swing and bear weight. So the ‘calculated’ answer I came up with was 35grams. Given the moment arm and leverage etc. Plus claws get in the way - woodchucks don’t have fingers/thumb for gripping like us. No doubt this question will continue to bother me.

        • Force_majeure123@aussie.zone
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          2 days ago

          You make some fair points. Perhaps only a 75% reduction was far too generous in hindsight. i think 35g is a bit too light though.these woodchucks are quite capable diggers. If you imagine it scooping up the wood in a digging fashion, perhaps flung betwixt its legs, I feel it could get a bit of power that way.

          • TheWitchofThornbury2@aussie.zone
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            2 days ago

            True. The initial question does not specify if the chuck in question is forward directed or rear directed. Damn questions that miss out on the most important info.

    • Pilk@aussie.zone
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      2 days ago

      If gummy lollies were invented today, what shape would they have gone with if not snakes and red frogs?