P1 1 Tongue-tied

Abstract

This paper examines the tensile strength of a frog’s tongue when modelled as a pendulum to demonstrate that it would not be possible for a frog’s tongue to support the weight of two rats and itself as shown in the film Flushed Away. We calculated the tension on the frog’s tongue from its own weight plus a single rat to be 16.2 N, and with an additional rat, this increased to 19.1 N. However, given the strength-related properties of a frog’s tongue, we calculated the maximum tension it can withstand to be 18.5 N. Therefore, with the combined mass of two rats, 0.3 kg each, and the frog, 1.35 kg, this tension exceeds the maximum limit suggesting that such a feat would not be possible if it occurred in real life.