| MadSci Network: Physics |
Greetings Jerimiah,
The following is the answer to your question, thanks to the web site located at the following address. clackhi.nclack.k12.or.us
HOW DO YOU MEASURE ITS SPEED? TO MEASURE THE SPEED OF A SNEEZE YOU NEED THREE THINGS. FIRST YOU NEED A HIGH SHUTTER SPEED CAMERA, SECOND A "SNEEZER", AND LASTLY A BLACK BACKROUND THAT HAS DISTANCES MEASURED OFF. AS THE "SNEEZER" SNEEZES, THE HIGH SPEED CAMARA CAPTURES THE DISTANCE OF THE DROPLETS FROM FRAME TO FRAME. IF YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TIME ELAPSES FROM EACH FRAME, THEN YOU CAN USE THE DISTANCE AND THE TIME TO GIVE THE VELOCITY OF THE SNEEZE. JOHN CAMERON OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON SAYS THAT ANOTHER METHOD COULD BE THE USE OF RADAR OR DOPPLER TO MEASURE NOT JUST A SNEEZE, BUT A COUGH AS WELL. HE SAYS THAT A COUGH CAN LEAVE YOUR BODY AT FROM 650-750 MPH, MACH 1, OR THE SPEED OF SOUND.
HOW FAST ARE SNEEZES? THE FASTEST RECORDED SNEEZE WAS 102 MILES PER HOUR. THE AVERAGE SPEED OF YOUR SNEEZE IS 90 MPH. THIS MEANS YOUR LIQUIDS ARE EXPELLED OUT OF YOUR BODY FASTER THAN A SPEEDING CAR, WELL NOT ALL SPEEDING CARS, ONLY THE ONES THAT GO LESS THAN 100 MILES PER HOUR.
WHY DO YOU SNEEZE IN THE FIRST PLACE? A SNEEZE, OR STERNUTATION, IS STARTED WITH AN IRRITATION IN YOUR NOSE. MESSAGES ARE THEN SENT TO YOUR "SNEEZE CENTER" IN YOUR BRAIN. THEN THE "STERNUTATION" CENTER TELLS THE MUSCLES OF THE BELLY, THE DIAPHRAM, THE EYELIDS, AND THE MUSCLES IN THE BACK OF YOUR THROAT.
Thanks for taking the time to send in a question to the Mad Scientists.
June Wingert
Associate Scientist
Lexicon Genetics
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