From scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology, there’s research leading to an interesting story about dogs — Physics of Wet Dogs Shake Out in High-Speed Videos.
[Andrew] Dickerson, along with some colleagues from the Georgia Institute of Technology, has written “The Wet-Dog Shake,” published in Fluid Dynamics. They attempt to calculate the optimum speed at which dogs should shake to most efficiently dry their fur.
The team built a mathematical model of the processes involved, reasoning that surface tension between the water and the dog’s hair is what keeps the dog wet. Overcoming that tension requires a centripetal force that exceeds it.
….the team filmed a wide range of dogs shaking, and used the images to calculate the period of oscillation. For a labrador retriever, that turned out to be 4.3 Hz. He then expanded the search, filming animals as small as mice (27 Hz) and as large as bears (4 Hz).
Video Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvoKN1UfLn0.