# Throwing Grapes **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452 "2008-06-10T15:54:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/1 "2008-06-10T15:54:44Z")
We were in the high bay today, I brought grapes. We (the Anglo-American-Canadian-South African contingent) were tossing grapes and catching them in out mouths. The Saudis were amazed. (Well, the Saudis were bemused.) We discussed the world’s distance record for catching a grape in the mouth. I am not interested in how far that is. We could not do it at three meters. How far can a grape be tossed? I figure it can only take so many Gs before it goes all squishy. Further, it lacks much mass to provide the inertia needed to go any great distance. **What would be the limiting factors in toss a grape a great distance? Would these structural limits impact a record attempt?** ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/2 "2008-06-10T16:26:42Z")
3 meters? That’s ten feet. Can’t you underhand a grape further than that without breaking it? (Are the grapes over-ripe?) ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/3 "2008-06-10T16:29:39Z")
> [@](#): > > We are still the new champions according to Guinness and that’s what really counts. Mr. Colin Smith said, "I’m quite sure your new record of 270 feet 4 inches will hold for sometime and that we’ll have no problem being in the 1981 Edition. I hope you have enjoyed my complete to date story of the Grape Catch! That was in 1980. [http://thegrapecatcher.com/thebeginning.html](http://thegrapecatcher.com/thebeginning.html) He broke that record in 1991 with a 327 ft. 6 inch catch. [http://thegrapecatcher.com/index.html](http://thegrapecatcher.com/index.html) Edit: Corrected language to make it clearer. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/4 "2008-06-10T16:32:08Z")
The structural limits can be mitigated by controlling transient G force during the acceleration phase. A longer acceleration would be able to reach very high velocities, if a grape tossing device was designed well. I believe a true limit would be reached by deceleration forces, such as friction with, and compression of air. I am not sure what the terminal velocity of a free falling grape is. But any increase over that would increase the pressure on the grape’s skin, and internal cell structure. Ballistic trajectories in atmosphere would, I think, suffer far more from compromise of targeting confidence than structural failure of the grape itself, in term of operant limits as distance increased. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/5 "2008-06-10T16:49:12Z")
If we were to use an atal we could apply acceleration over a longer time, so reducing the g-forces, another trick would be to throw it from one of the access platform along the side of the high bay. The grape would cover a greater distance, but with the same acceleration shock. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/6 "2008-06-10T17:08:18Z")
I’d be more worried about the other end of the throw. Your uvula would have to be armored to withstand some of these speeds. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/7 "2008-06-10T18:21:46Z")
Dude. You’re in Saudi Arabia and you’re eating grapes? Why aren’t you fermenting them into hootch? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/8 "2008-06-10T18:55:55Z")
Where is the High Bay? Were you sailing? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/9 "2008-06-11T01:52:06Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I’d be more worried about the other end of the throw. Your uvula would have to be armored to withstand some of these speeds. [/QUOTE] While the grape would be going fast at the time of launch, it would slow throughout the flight. Ideally, at the top of its arc it would be moving at nada, and then begin to fall, reaching terminal velocity, based on the air resistance of a grape. So it would be moving rather slowly at the time of the catch. You would not want to stand in front of it at launch however. A high bay, a room about four stories tall. Our flight simulator is in there. Until I stopped them, the guys were repairing a hydraulics problem. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwing-grapes/452452/10 "2008-06-11T02:32:44Z")
According to Lance Rentzel, former Cowboys receiver and exposer of his cock to young girls, when he played for the Sooners, they had a “grape race” as part of the freshman initiation night. Everyone had to crab-walk backwards from the fifty to the end-zone, with a grape clenched between their ass muscles. The last guy to make it, had to eat everyone else’s grapes.