Just how fast is twenty-two thousand telephone poles an hour in MPH

[Lucas_Jackson]

I heard Wolf Creek Pass on the radio today: C.W. McCall - Wolf Creek Pass - YouTube

He got to this verse…

“I looked on outta the window and I started countin’ phone poles, goin’ by at the rate of four to the seventh power. Well I put two and two together, and added twelve and carried five; come up with twenty-two thousand telephone poles an hour.”

And it made me wonder, just how fast would that be in MPH?

They just don’t make novelty songs like they used to.

[kenobi_65]

Wikipedia says that, in rural areas, they’re typically 300 feet apart in rural areas.

300 feet x 22,000 = 6,600,000 feet in an hour. Or, 1,250 miles in an hour.

[MrDibble]

at an average spacing of 91m, I make that (22000*91/1000) = 2002 km/h which is 1244 MPH.

[bibliophage]

@Lucas_Jackson

phone poles, goin’ by at the rate of four to the seventh power. Well I put two and two together, and added twelve and carried five; come up with twenty-two thousand telephone poles an hour.

His algorithm is bad. Four to the seventh power is 16,384, not 22,000. Assuming a spacing of 300 feet, that makes only about 931 mph or Mach 1.21, which is far more realistic.

[Lucas_Jackson]

You guys rock! Only on the dope…

[Gordon_Urquhart]

@bibliophage

His algorithm is bad. Four to the seventh power is 16,384, not 22,000. Assuming a spacing of 300 feet, that makes only about 931 mph or Mach 1.21, which is far more realistic.

Well, he and Earl were both hepped up on Nehis and onion soup mix. Missing a decimal point here or there can probably be forgiven.

[Just_Asking_Questions]

@Gordon_Urquhart

Well, he and Earl were both hepped up on Nehis and onion soup mix. Missing a decimal point here or there can probably be forgiven.

That, and worrying about dying. Unless you’re a Vulcan, it’s hard to do complex math while in a panic.

In a related question, in Hot Rod Lincoln, when the singer describes his blazing speed he sings:

They said slow down, “IC” spots
the lines on the road just look like dots

For the part in quotes, is he singing “I see” or “icy”? I always thought the first, which refers back to the classic joke (have you seen a doctor? No, just spots.) and parallels with the lines “looking like dots”.

[running_coach]

@Just_Asking_Questions

That, and worrying about dying. Unless you’re a Vulcan, it’s hard to do complex math while in a panic.

In a related question, in Hot Rod Lincoln, when the singer describes his blazing speed he sings:

They said slow down, “IC” spots
the lines on the road just look like dots

For the part in quotes, is he singing “I see” or “icy”? I always thought the first, which refers back to the classic joke (have you seen a doctor? No, just spots.) and parallels with the lines “looking like dots”.

“I see”

[Exapno_Mapcase]

@bibliophage

His algorithm is bad. Four to the seventh power is 16,384, not 22,000. Assuming a spacing of 300 feet, that makes only about 931 mph or Mach 1.21, which is far more realistic.

Did you add 12 and carry the 5?

[Lucas_Jackson]

@Just_Asking_Questions

That, and worrying about dying. Unless you’re a Vulcan, it’s hard to do complex math while in a panic.

In a related question, in Hot Rod Lincoln, when the singer describes his blazing speed he sings:

They said slow down, “IC” spots
the lines on the road just look like dots

For the part in quotes, is he singing “I see” or “icy”? I always thought the first, which refers back to the classic joke (have you seen a doctor? No, just spots.) and parallels with the lines “looking like dots”.

“I see”. I think the joke is that they are going so fast the center lines appear to be just spots.

[Dag_Otto]

@Exapno_Mapcase

Did you add 12 and carry the 5?

They got her down to a hundred-and-ten when they hit the tunnel. I figure those hens might not be so aerodynamic.