Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

DOI

10.1119/5.0198845

Publication Title

Physics Teacher

Volume

62

Issue

7

Pages

A622

Abstract

This article, titled "Pigeon strike!: Solutions for Fermi Questions, October 2024," discusses the estimation of various physics-related questions regarding a pigeon striking a window. The author estimates the momentum and kinetic energy of the bird prior to hitting the window, as well as the force, pressure, and wingspan of the bird during impact. The author assumes an inelastic collision between the bird and the window, and provides calculations and explanations for their estimations. The article concludes with the author's observation that the estimated wingspan aligns with that of an adult pigeon.

Rights

© 2024 The Author.

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in

Adam, J. (2024). Pigeon strike!: Solutions for Fermi questions, October 2024. Physics Teacher, 62(7), A622.

and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0198845.

Original Publication Citation

Adam, J. (2024). Pigeon strike!: Solutions for Fermi questions, October 2024. Physics Teacher, 62(7), A622. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0198845

ORCID

0000-0001-5537-2889 (Adam)

Available for download on Wednesday, October 01, 2025

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