Which Dinosaur is the Fastest? The Maths of Dinosaurs

University of Oxford Mathematician Dr Tom Crawford explains how to mathematically calculate the fastest dinosaur. Its the Maths of Dinosaurs! Using a mathematical formula which gives the top speed of a land-based animal, we use the tools of calculus to determine the ideal mass to maximise velocity. Too small and the animal does not have enough capacity to go quickly, but too big and it cannot accelerate quickly enough to reach its theoretical maximum speed. The location of the 'sweet spot' in the middle is found by calculating the turning point of the velocity function. The solution is then applied to dinosaurs to determine which is the fastest. Check out the table of all calculated top speeds here: https://tomrocksmaths.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/table2.pdf The formula for the top speed is taken from the work of Myriam Hirt - link to publication below. Hirt, M.R., Jetz, W., Rall, B.C. et al. A general scaling law reveals why the largest animals are not the fastest. Nat Ecol Evol 1, 1116–1122 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0241-4 Filmed on location at Lourinha Dino Park in Portugal. Produced by Dr Tom Crawford at the University of Oxford. Tom is Public Engagement Lead at the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/ For more maths content check out Tom's website https://tomrocksmaths.com/ You can also follow Tom on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @tomrocksmaths. https://www.facebook.com/tomrocksmaths/ https://twitter.com/tomrocksmaths https://www.instagram.com/tomrocksmaths/ Get your Tom Rocks Maths merchandise here: https://www.beautifulequation.com/collections/tom-rocks-maths Thanks to Lourinha Dino Park Steve Sheridan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKYLA-9kcKM Wildest Nature https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vpg5yQ5pVE Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL0dNL3lOzg