What is the maximum walking speed of an adult man whose legs are each 1.2 m long?
What is the maximum walking speed of an adult man whose legs are each 1.2 m long?
sqrt(1.2*9.8) = 3.4 m/s
To determine the maximum walking speed of an adult man with legs 1.2 meters long, we need to consider factors such as stride length and frequency. The maximum walking speed can be estimated using a formula known as the "speed of a theoretical walker."
The formula for calculating the speed of a theoretical walker is:
Speed = Stride Length * Stride Frequency
Stride Length is the distance between successive placements of the same foot (when walking, the step length would be equal to twice the stride length).
Stride Frequency is the number of steps taken per unit of time (usually measured in steps per minute).
To estimate the stride length, we can use the average human stride length, which is about 0.4 to 0.6 times a person's leg length.
In this case, assuming a stride length of 0.5 times the leg length, we can calculate the stride length as:
Stride Length = 0.5 * Leg Length
= 0.5 * 1.2 m
= 0.6 m
Now, to estimate the stride frequency, we can refer to the average walking speed of a human, which is about 1.4 to 1.6 meters per second.
Since speed = Stride Length * Stride Frequency, we can rearrange the formula to calculate the stride frequency:
Stride Frequency = Speed / Stride Length
= 1.4 m/s / 0.6 m
≈ 2.33 steps/second
Finally, we multiply the stride frequency by 60 to convert it to steps per minute:
Stride Frequency (steps/minute) = Stride Frequency (steps/second) * 60
= 2.33 * 60
≈ 140 steps/minute
Therefore, based on the assumptions made, the maximum walking speed of an adult man with legs 1.2 meters long would be approximately 1.4 meters per second or 140 steps per minute.