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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bscook (talk | contribs) at 20:44, 14 August 2007 (Description of shortcoming in cited reference article as it pertains to cow tipping). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Cow tipping is an act theoretically performed by participants who sneak up on an upright, sleeping cow and push it over for amusement. There are factors which make success in this unlikely, and a variety of calculations have been applied to determine if cow tipping is physically possible, sometimes with humorous intention.

Academics in the zoology department of the University of British Columbia have concluded that cow tipping is likely a myth, noting also that cows do not sleep while standing up. Some consider the attempt to practice it as an act of animal abuse.

While the references cited above suggest that cow tipping is an urban myth based upon bovine sleeping habits and human/bovine weight ratios, the studies appear to be incomplete. In fact, the articles appear to only refer to the possibilities of cow toppling. While The Times' article acknowledges that cows do, in fact, doze (enter a light sleep state) while standing on their feet, it neglects to discuss any methods of cow tipping other than pushing the cow over by using brute force.

For example, The Times did not address the traditional cow tip method of tipping a cow. The traditional cow tip involves simply leaning against a cow while it is in a dozing state and gradually increasing the force of the lean over time as the cow pushes back. Once the cow has become accustomed to the pressure against its side, sudden removal of the initial leaning force (usually by the prankster's running away), the cow may in fact tip under its own weight.

In 2004, a Florida legislator proposed a ban on "cruelty to bovines", which while not specific to cow tipping, included language that would apply to cow tipping: "A person who, for the purpose of practice, entertainment, or sport, intentionally fells, trips, or otherwise causes a cow to fall or lose its balance by means of roping, lassoing, dragging, or otherwise touching the tail of the cow commits a misdemeanor of the first degree." It is unclear how such a ban might affect popular events such as rodeos.

See also

• Barnyard
• Rodeo

References

1. Semke, Matt. "The Statics of Cow Tipping". UNL College of Engineering and Mechanics Course Project. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
2. Malvern, Jack. "Cow-tipping myth hasn't got a leg to stand on". Times Online. Retrieved 2006-10-28.
3. Colebourn, John (November 9, 2005), "Debunking rural myth of cow tipping: It's udder nonsense, academics contend", Montreal Gazette, pp. A10{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
4. ^ Emery, David. "Florida to Consider Ban on Cow Tipping". About.com. Retrieved 2007-06-07.

External links

• The Times article on Cow Tipping by Jack Malvern
• The Register article debunking the myth of cow tipping while drunk by Lester Haines

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