APR 25, 2016 1:18 PM PDT

Can a Fart Be Outrun?

WRITTEN BY: Anthony Bouchard


Whenever someone cuts the cheese, the first reaction is either to cover your nose or to walk away to where you will find cleaner air.

On the other hand, is it actually possible to out-run a fart? Scientific data has mixed feelings…

As far as the sound is concerned, you're not going to outrun the sound because the speed of sound is 340 meters per second. The fastest runners in the world are more than 20 times slower than that.

As far as the smell is concerned, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration, including the ejection speed, the atmospheric pressure, the temperature, the chemistry, and more. Each of these impacts how fast the fart will travel, and whether or not it'll get to your nostrils.

Even more interestingly, everyone's perception of smell is different, so some people might sense a fart and others don't, which provides the same argument as the classic, ‘if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise?' question.

About the Author
Other
Fascinated by scientific discoveries and media, Anthony found his way here at LabRoots, where he would be able to dabble in the two. Anthony is a technology junkie that has vast experience in computer systems and automobile mechanics, as opposite as those sound.
You May Also Like
Loading Comments...