This is a rarity: the equations shown actually make sense in this context. Usually cartoonists just write nonsense — Bill Amend being a notable exception, because he has a bachelor’s degree in physics. My guess is that the dog’s thought bubble was sampled from some textbook; if not, I’m even more impressed.
Unfortunately, the equations shown are really more appropriate for a nonrotating ball, not a Frisbee; they include drag, but not lift. They would not even do a good job predicting the path of a curve ball. Even so, the equations lack simple solutions and have to be estimated numerically, which is why there is a reference to Excel and Euler’s Method at the bottom.
This is a rarity: the equations shown actually make sense in this context. Usually cartoonists just write nonsense — Bill Amend being a notable exception, because he has a bachelor’s degree in physics. My guess is that the dog’s thought bubble was sampled from some textbook; if not, I’m even more impressed.
Unfortunately, the equations shown are really more appropriate for a nonrotating ball, not a Frisbee; they include drag, but not lift. They would not even do a good job predicting the path of a curve ball. Even so, the equations lack simple solutions and have to be estimated numerically, which is why there is a reference to Excel and Euler’s Method at the bottom.