NP Monday Nov 14 2016

[partner555 170]

http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp.php?id=538

I know Catalina's feelings.

[Scotty 1,061]

56 minutes ago, partner555 said:

http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp.php?id=538

I know Catalina's feelings.

Panel 4 of this NP seems appropriate.

And it totally looks like Catalina could "dwell within the shirt" from that perspective.

[Circe 32]

In a totally unrelated incident, I was doing a geography quiz today that included a question about the Grand Tetons.

 

[Stature 96]

So Rhoda will clear the vertical limit of the dressing room doorway. But something tells me Dan/Catalina watched Chicken Little lately.

21 hours ago, Scotty said:

Panel 4 of this NP seems appropriate.

"It is gonna be HUUUUUGE. HUUUUUGE."  #sorrynotsorry

[JustBecauseICantDraw 200]

Quote

She must feel really high up at that size, but stablished EGS canon (well, established via Q&A) is that Catalina is extra durable while shrunk, and would be fine if she were dropped

The force from gravity is proportional to your mass (size cubed), but air resistance is proportional to your surface area (size squared).  The bigger you are, the harder you fall.  In earth gravity the mammal safe size for falling is about that of a rabbit or house cat.  In fact, cats often survive falling from tower blocks and their survival rate actually seems to increase as the height goes above 7 stories.

A mouse, or someone the size of Catalina right now, would cheerfully walk away.  Douglas Adams has already established what happens to a whale.

Edit: in fact, she'd be fine if Rhoda went out in the parking lot and threw her as hard as possible vertically upwards. Rhoda has options for a new adrenaline sport if other job opportunities don't arise.

Edited November 14, 2016 by JustBecauseICantDraw
adrenaline sports

[ijuin 572]

3 hours ago, Scotty said:

Panel 4 of this NP seems appropriate.

And it totally looks like Catalina could "dwell within the shirt" from that perspective.

Well, Rhoda is about eight times her height, so her boobs are more like giant bean bag chairs compared to Catalina.

48 minutes ago, JustBecauseICantDraw said:

  Douglas Adams has already established what happens to a whale.

It has an extended monologue while accompanied by a bowl of petunias?

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

Catalina was distracted from her problem with heights.

But the distraction will pass and out right panic could ensue.

Acrophobia is an debilitating condition.  It may be irrational or unreasonable when it becomes debilitating.  But that does not eliminate the fact that I could be seriously injured or killed if I fall, or could damage anyone or anything on which I may fall.

[Sweveham 65]

It is reassuring to read Dan's commentary and know that Catalina really isn't in any danger. Of course, that doesn't help Catalina much, because she hasn't read the commentary. It would be an interesting case of metafiction if she did, though.

[hkmaly 490]

First the most important question: How cats land on all four? Turns out that the main component of that - besides the reflex - is unusually flexible backbone and no functional clavicle (collarbone). Catalina in her cat form can have both without it being obvious from outside. She also has tail, which helps. Meanwhile, being bipedal is irrelevant. So, yes, she definitely land on all four, possibly even without any magic trick.

6 hours ago, JustBecauseICantDraw said:

The force from gravity is proportional to your mass (size cubed), but air resistance is proportional to your surface area (size squared).  The bigger you are, the harder you fall.  In earth gravity the mammal safe size for falling is about that of a rabbit or house cat.  In fact, cats often survive falling from tower blocks and their survival rate actually seems to increase as the height goes above 7 stories.

The term usually used in experiments like this is terminal velocity. Terminal velocity for cat is 100km/h, which is smaller than human (210km/h) but still big. Landing on all four, thick fur and relaxing on impact can help cat survive even terminal velocity fall, but not always, and they may end up injured. So, definitely don't try that.

(Also, that's for cat-sized cat, not Catalina.)

7 hours ago, JustBecauseICantDraw said:

A mouse, or someone the size of Catalina right now, would cheerfully walk away.

I think mouse lacks the falling reflects and will therefore injure more than mouse-sized cat. But yes, Catalina would even without additional magic-based durability definitely walk away without injuries.

7 hours ago, JustBecauseICantDraw said:

Edit: in fact, she'd be fine if Rhoda went out in the parking lot and threw her as hard as possible vertically upwards. Rhoda has options for a new adrenaline sport if other job opportunities don't arise.

5 hours ago, Sweveham said:

It is reassuring to read Dan's commentary and know that Catalina really isn't in any danger. Of course, that doesn't help Catalina much, because she hasn't read the commentary.

She doesn't need to read the commentary. Few jumps to feel how her body reacts to impact now and maybe reading about cats always land on their feet should give her enough confidence to try. Still, it would be better to try that somewhere ELSE than parking lot, where people may be wondering what is Rhoda doing. Also, better to try somewhere where you can't fall into mall ventilation.

6 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Acrophobia is an debilitating condition.  It may be irrational or unreasonable when it becomes debilitating.

Catalina's cat abilities may lower her acrophobia as sideefect - like Sydneys orb. Or, well, maybe she gets flying spells next.

5 hours ago, Sweveham said:

It would be an interesting case of metafiction if she did, though.

Wouldn't be first. And I'm not talking about cases like Strange Candy (where the commentaries disappeared meanwhile so the effect is lost) ... I'm talking about the previous version of this forum, which was read by Scale from CameoComic.

[Don Edwards 548]

It's also been determined that cats falling a certain distance (or more) technically don't land on their feet... instead they land on all four legs, their stomachs, their chests, their tails, and their chins. The spread-eagle position probably slightly lowers their terminal velocity, so they don't hit the ground quite as hard, and then it spreads the impact over the largest possible area and minimizing the stress on the legs, hips, shoulders, and spine.

[Vorlonagent 442]

18 minutes ago, Don Edwards said:

It's also been determined that cats falling a certain distance (or more) technically don't land on their feet... instead they land on all four legs, their stomachs, their chests, their tails, and their chins. The spread-eagle position probably slightly lowers their terminal velocity, so they don't hit the ground quite as hard, and then it spreads the impact over the largest possible area and minimizing the stress on the legs, hips, shoulders, and spine.

They do however spin in midair if a face-up piece of buttered toast is strapped to their backs...

[mlooney 3,417]

9 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Catalina was distracted from her problem with heights.

It seems that being a fairy causes some people to have a fear of heights.  Witness Sarah's fear in this sketchbook.

13 hours ago, Circe said:

In a totally unrelated incident, I was doing a geography quiz today that included a question about the Grand Tetons.

If you ever are planing a camping trip to Yellowstone, camp in Grand Tetons.  Almost always has open sites, even in peak season and making a day trip to Yellowstone is a trivial drive.

[GJT0530 1]

I did the math in a Facebook post,  but assuming Catalina is actually 1/7 scale,  rather than 1/7 size as Rhoda claimed (which she looks way way too small for), her terminal velocity would be roughly 45 mph(assuming she's an "average human" normally)and the impact felt by her bones/muscles/organs would be equivalent to a normal human landing at roughly 17mph. Even at terminal velocity (which would take hundreds of feet of falling to reach) thats not only survivable but unlikely to cause significant injury as long as you land right. 

[ijuin 572]

So, roughly, the relative damage is comparable to typical parachute landing speed for a full-sized person. One could get bruises or minor scrapes if landing improperly (though a heavy adult can get those just from tripping on pavement while walking), but a proper landing (in a martial arts "how to fall safely" sense) would be harmless.

[hkmaly 490]

1 hour ago, GJT0530 said:

I did the math in a Facebook post,  but assuming Catalina is actually 1/7 scale,  rather than 1/7 size as Rhoda claimed (which she looks way way too small for), her terminal velocity would be roughly 45 mph(assuming she's an "average human" normally)and the impact felt by her bones/muscles/organs would be equivalent to a normal human landing at roughly 17mph. Even at terminal velocity (which would take hundreds of feet of falling to reach) thats not only survivable but unlikely to cause significant injury as long as you land right. 

39 minutes ago, ijuin said:

So, roughly, the relative damage is comparable to typical parachute landing speed for a full-sized person. One could get bruises or minor scrapes if landing improperly (though a heavy adult can get those just from tripping on pavement while walking), but a proper landing (in a martial arts "how to fall safely" sense) would be harmless.

And we already debated how she surely lands properly because cats are better than martial artists in this.