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Because Science

How Fast Do Tails’ Tails Gotta Go in Order to Fly?

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most iconic video game characters of all time. As such, he had one of the most famous sidekicks of all time: Miles “Tails” Prower (that’s his real name), a two-tailed fox who’d spin said tails in a helicopter-like fashion in order to fly. But how fast would Tails’ tails have to go in order to do so?

In my latest Because Science, we’re going to start with basic math and derive for ourselves the very same equations used to calculate helicopter lift. Once we have that, we’ll take Tails’ dimensions and plug them into our equations to figure out the speed of Tails’ tails. This final value will give us an idea of where this speed ranks among other similar (though less furry) fliers, like drones and helicopters. But you’ll have to watch my latest episode above for the answer!

Check out my last video on the science behind Street Fighter‘s famous “sonic boom,” subscribe to this playlist to stay current with the show, buy a Because Science shirt, mug, hat, or collectible pin (the SURPRISE LIGHTSABER! shirts are in!), and follow me on Twitter to give me a suggestion for the next episode or on Instagram where I’m now posting extra mini-episodes!

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