The NUMB3RS Behind Rock Skipping
Kirt's Cogitations™ #104

RF Cafe University"Factoids," "Kirt's Cogitations," and "Tech Topics Smorgasbord" are all manifestations of my ranting on various subjects relevant (usually) to the overall RF Cafe theme. All may be accessed on these pages:

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The NUMB3RS Behind Rock Skipping

Skiffing, smutting, ricochet, "ducks and drakes." Those are all names for the art of rock skipping. It is now as much of a science as an art, thanks to physicist Lyderic Bocquet and his young son. Mr. Bocquet formulated equations of motion for stones, modeling them as a thin, flat object bouncing off a uniform surface. He discovered that the stones initial rate of speed and spin rate were the biggest factors in the stone's ability to skip multiple times. A high rate of spin generates a gyroscopic effect that prevents the stone from tumbling and diving into the water. Per his equations, the world record of 38 skips corresponds to a stone flying 12 meters while spinning at a rate of 14 revolutions/second.