Cow tipping

I've had people tell me they actually went cow tipping...waited until the cows were sleeping and then gave a mighty push and sent them toppling over. Well, I've been around horses and cows my whole life, and I've never ever seen either one tipped. I'm guessing that some cowboy way back was pulling the leg of some city slicker just for a laugh and that is how that whopper got started.

[ganzfeld]

Same subject, previous board.

[Ramblin' Dave]

I went to college in a very rural area where a lot of city kids came to study, and the idea of cow-tipping was always pretty popular among them. I don't think any of them ever actually did it, though - and I, for one, really hated it when they joked about it. Way to give all of us city kids a bad name! Some of us liked the fresh air and open spaces, of which I for one hadn't seen nearly enough growing up.

[snopes]

Legend has it that a single person can sneak up and push over (or tip over) a cow because cows sleep while standing up, have a high center of gravity and weak legs.

There are no shortage of stories and references in movies and computer games referring to "cow tipping." It's often put in the context of rural kids, perhaps emboldened by their favorite beverages, making mischief.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humanin...icle989079.ece

[snopes]

Two boys are in trouble for a city version of cow tipping for a prank attack on a costumed bovine outside a Chick-fil-A restaurant.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009..._cowtippi.html

[Artemis]

Hmm, I don't know that I'd call that cow tipping. Just assault!

[stalker]

Ignoring everything else, the study by the University of British Columbia (or just the Times image, I can't tell if they're really related) got at least a couple of things wrong:

1. Even if a cows knees do lock it still isn't a fully rigid object. The weight can be shifted sideways without a leg lifting off the ground
2. They have the centre of mass placed at half of the height. The weight of a cow is going to be way above that because there isn't really a lot of mass in the legs

Supposed cow tipping forces

[snopes]

A friend and colleague sent me an article recently debunking the urban legend known as “cow tipping.” Cow tipping, I believe, ranks right up there with other myths like snipe hunting and organic foods are healthier.

http://articles.dailyamerican.com/20...ow-myth-tipper

[tagurit]

Originally Posted by ganzfeld

Same subject, previous board.

I love it when a thread referencing the old board pops up. It's nice reading those old posts, seeing posts by people you haven't read in a while, noticing stalker was in Las Vegas back in 2009.