Danger: Falling Cow

[Kothnok]

Every now and then, you come across a story that is just too random.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SOB4UG0&show_article=1

Honest officer, I was just drivin' down the street mindin' my own bid'niss when the cow suddenly fell on me!

[Jilinna]

WOW 

[Luise]

wow- Mathematically- what are the chances of that happening? a trillion to one?
...or as Robin (in the original Batman series) would say: "Holy cow!"

I bet they had fun filling out their insurance claims..."We were driving along when suddenly a cow fell from the sky..."

[Buzan]

No friggin way...wth...

[Threlin]

wow- Mathematically- what are the chances of that happening? a trillion to one?
...or as Robin (in the original Batman series) would say: "Holy cow!"

Actually, Luise, if you take the square root of the miles driven each day and divide it by the number of cows in pasture, combined with the topographical difference of the average roadway slope to the edge of the right of way, subtract the average reaction time of a normal driver and multiply by the glide pattern of a cow (which is only slightly better than a safe), it actually computes to:

1 in 899,422,671,212,669.0000000003

Or, slightly better than a persons chance of winning a lottery. 

[LastDyingBreath]

cowabunga!


.... I'll get me coat.

[un4]

I just finished mounting a cattle catcher on the roof of my car, and I strongly urge the rest of you to do so as well.

[Luise]

Actually, Luise, if you take the square root of the miles driven each day and divide it by the number of cows in pasture, combined with the topographical difference of the average roadway slope to the edge of the right of way, subtract the average reaction time of a normal driver and multiply by the glide pattern of a cow (which is only slightly better than a safe), it actually computes to:

1 in 899,422,671,212,669.0000000003

Or, slightly better than a persons chance of winning a lottery. 

lol Threl - I'd like to see the glide pattern of a cow! 
But you can only count the cows in pasture near a cliff edge???
But it's a great question for my Maths class who are studying probability at the moment

[Threlin]

But you can only count the cows in pasture near a cliff edge???

Well Luise, if you only factor in the cows which pasture near a cliff, you then have to adjust the miles driven to include only those below a cliff...so it sort of cancels out, actually. 

Let us know what your students came up with!