I Describe the Physics involved in swinging a rope to catch a cow

[Vasi]

I want to understand the physics of swinging a rope and releasing it at correct moment in order to catch a cow.

Link to a detailed video

 

[.Scott]

The Physics are not extraordinary, except that unlike other Physics problems, the rope does have mass.
Here is a a shorter instructional video that focuses on the throw.

 

[Baluncore]

Welcome to PF.

An introduction to the mechanics of the lasso
https://hal.science/hal-01667111

 

[DaveC426913]

OK, catching a cow while one is standing on the ground.

The title and first post one led me to a mental image of the OP dangling a rope from a helicopter and trying to wrap it around the cow's mid-section.

What concerned me even more was that .scott's and Baluncore's responses seemed to take this completely in-stride, as if heli-cow-catching is a standard physics textbook problem.

Descriptive titles. people!

 

[Baluncore]

OK, catching a cow while one is standing on the ground

Was this really your "first rodeo".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calf_roping
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/not-be-first-rodeo

 

[DaveC426913]

Was this really your "first rodeo".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calf_roping
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/not-be-first-rodeo

Of course I know what a lasso is and what a rodeo is.

None of that was apparent until you mentioned "lasso" at the end of post 3, and by then, the image was too fixed in my head to shake loose.

 

[Baluncore]

OK, catching a cow while one is standing on the ground.

Most cows are standing on the ground, except when jumping over the moon in the nursery rhyme. Identifying the optimum title, is like herding cats.

If the OP knew what question to ask, they would know what title to use, but then they would not need to ask, because the answer would also be obvious to them. We must therefor deduce, what the question should have been, which requires a diversity of interpretation. Thank you for playing your part and covering what I missed.