prompter: What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

assistant: The air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow depends on several factors, including the species of the swallow, its size, and the weather conditions. However, there is a famous question about the air-speed velocity of an unladen African Swallow, which was featured in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

In the movie, the character King Arthur is asked this question by the Keeper of the Bridge of Death. After some back and forth, the Keeper specifies that he is referring to an African Swallow, and King Arthur responds that he doesn't know the answer.

In reality, the air-speed velocity of an unladen African Swallow is estimated to be around 11 meters per second or 24 miles per hour. However, this is just an average and can vary depending on various factors. It's worth noting that the question in the movie was meant to be humorous and was not intended to be taken seriously.

prompter: Any other Monty Python quotes you know?

assistant: The velocity of an unladen swallow averages to be around 20.1 mph although some have measured to be as fast 46 mph. However, you are probably referring to the famous Monty Python sketch, where there is no definitive answer because there are too many external variables.

prompter: What if the swallow was carrying a coconut?

assistant: The context provides information about the airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow, but there is no information about the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow carrying a coconut. The question of whether a swallow can carry a coconut is a comedic reference from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and the answer in the context suggests that it is highly unlikely for a swallow to carry a coconut, especially one that is more than double its weight. However, if we assume that the swallow found the world's smallest coconut ever recorded, weighing in at 0.14 ounces (3.847 grams), and a single European Swallow can carry about 1 ounce, then it might be possible for a swallow to carry such a small coconut. But this is an unlikely scenario, and it is not clear what the airspeed velocity of the swallow carrying the coconut would be. 

To estimate the airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow, the context provides several sources of information: 

- A 54-year survey of 26,285 European Swallows captured and released by the Avian Demography Unit of the University of Capetown finds that the average adult European swallow has a wing length of 12.2 cm and a body mass of 20.3 grams. By comparing the European Swallow with bird species of similar body mass, we can estimate that the swallow beats its wings 18 times a second with an amplitude of 18 cm, and by looking only at bird species with a similar wingspan, we can estimate an average frequency of 14 beats per second and an amplitude of 23 cm. By averaging all 6 values, we can estimate that an average European Swallow flies at cruising speed with a frequency of roughly 15 beats per second, and an amplitude of roughly 22 cm.
- Last month's article on The Strouhal Number in Cruising Flight showed how simplified flight waveforms that graph amplitude versus wavelength can be useful for visualizing the Strouhal ratio (fA/U), a dimensionless parameter that tends to fall in the range of 0.2-0.4 during efficient cruising flight. For a European Swallow flying with our estimated wingbeat amplitude of 22 cm, the predicted pattern of cruising flight ranges from a Strouhal number (St) of 0.2 to 0.4. 
- Airspeed can also be predicted using a published formula. By inverting the midpoint Strouhal ratio of 0.3 (fA/U ≈ 0.3), Graham K. Taylor et al. show that as a rule of thumb, the speed of a flying animal is roughly 3 times frequency times amplitude (U ≈ 3fA). Using this formula, we can estimate that the airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is roughly 10 meters per second.

Based on the above information, we can estimate that the airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is roughly 10 meters per second or 24 miles per hour. However, it is important to note that these are estimates based on averages and simplified flight waveforms, and the actual airspeed velocity of an individual swallow may vary depending on various factors such as wind speed, altitude, and temperature.

assistant: It could grip it by the husk!  It's not a question of where 'e grips it!  It's a simple question of weight ratios!  A five-ounce bird could not carry a one-pound coconut!

assistant: Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?

Not at all!  They could be carried.

What, a swallow, carrying a coconut?

It could grip it by the husk!

It's not a question of where 'e grips it!  It's a simple question of weight ratios!  A five-ounce bird could *not* carry a one-pound coconut!

assistant: African or European swallow?

prompter: Please, answer the question for both kinds of swallow.

assistant: Ah, I see you're referencing the classic question from Monty Python's "Quest for the Holy Grail" movie. In the film, this question is posed as a test of knowledge to determine whether King Arthur and his knights are worthy to cross the Bridge of Death. However, the question itself is a bit of a trick question as there is no one definitive answer to it.

Firstly, there are actually several species of swallow, both African and European, and their air-speed velocities can vary depending on factors such as their size, age, sex, and whether they are flying solo or in a flock. Additionally, the speed at which a swallow can fly can also be influenced by external factors such as wind speed and direction.

Therefore, it is difficult to give a precise answer to this question without more information about the specific species of swallow being referred to and the specific conditions under which it is flying. However, on average, swallows are known to fly at speeds of around 11-22 meters per second (24-49 miles per hour) during sustained flight.

In any case, it's worth noting that the question about the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow is ultimately a humorous one, and is not meant to be taken too seriously!

assistant: The airspeed velocity of an unladen European swallow is about 24 miles per hour or 11 meters per second.
The airspeed velocity of an unladen African swallow is about 20.1 miles per hour or 8.9 meters per second.

assistant: Although a definitive answer would of course require further measurements, published species-wide averages of wing length and body mass, initial Strouhal estimates based on those averages and cross-species comparisons, the Lund wind tunnel study of birds flying at a range of speeds, and revised Strouhal numbers based on that study all lead me to estimate that the average cruising airspeed velocity of both African and European Swallows (unladen) is roughly 11 meters per second, or 24 miles an hour.