Cow Tipping is a Myth

Faeton writes "It's the kind of story you hear from a friend of a friend -- how, after a long night in a rural hostelry and at a loss for entertainment in the countryside, they head out into a nearby field. There, according to the second-hand accounts, they sneak up on an unsuspecting cow and turn the poor animal hoof over udder. But now, much to the relief of dairy herds, the sport of cow-tipping has been debunked as an urban, or perhaps rural, myth by scientists at a Canadian university. "

uhm...duh!!!

[omibus]

First off, cows sleep laying down. I lived on a dairy for 15 years and had to wake them up.

So, if the cow is standing, it is awake.

Next, a good sized dairy cow weighs in at over 1000 lbs.
Standing, feet average width apart -- you, scrawny programmer boy (or me, an almost athetic 200 lbs) aint just gonna nock the thing over. Head start or no.

But, it was a fun joke to pull on the city kids.

Re:Never underestimate the power of Nandrolone...

[itwerx]

...put his shoulder through the dorm room wall (concrete block)...

A concrete block wall, (especially if it's not a filled and rebar-reinforced load-bearing wall :), is actually surprisingly weak. Concrete can be incredibly strong when subjected solely to compression forces, but has minimal tensile strength. Consider also that not only does your college roommate have a fair amount of weight, but he is likely delivering it near the center (floor to ceiling) and so has maximum leverage to his advantage as well. I can't say I've ever attempted that particular feat myself but I've done enough other "interesting" things to concrete with my bare hands that I'm not too surprised to hear a drunk jock managed to break a wall...

not a myth

[PC9001]

Obviously these scientists haven't done very thorough field research. I'm from a small rural town of 1600 people, and I've witnessed cow tippings.

Think about what happens when they take a step...

[MarkusQ]

If they start to step by raising a leg on the far side, it will make them easier to tip.

If they raise a leg on the near side and try to step away, it will make them easier to tip.

Their best (and typical) response is to raise a near leg and move it towards the tipper, broadening their base and lowering their center of gravity. That, and only that, would makle them harder to tip. But that does not mean I agree with the articles conclusions.

--MarkusQ

Re:The real truth.

[Chuckstar]

The link you gave specifically says that Brethren is the plural of Brother