A sparrow has a minimum speed of about 20 miles per hour. If a robin is twice as long as a sparrow and proportional in shape, what is the minimum speed of a robin?
A) 40 miles per hour
B) 28 miles per hour
C) 14 miles per hour
D) 10 miles per hour

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the robin is twice as long as the sparrow, its weight is approximately eight times greater. By using the concept of geometric similarity (where the lengths of corresponding sides of two similar shapes are proportional), we can determine that the robin's minimum speed is about √8 times greater than the sparrow's minimum speed. Therefore, the minimum speed of a robin would be approximately 28 miles per hour (20 x √8 ≈ 28).

A Sparrow Has a Minimum Speed of About 20 Miles