2006-06-29 06:01:45 · 20 answers · asked by atlstunna2k2 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
It's largely about torque, and humans, in the way they are designed structurally (bone structure, muscle strength, and position of tendons- which connect the muscles to the bones) cannot produce enough torque to translate into the speed of a cheetah.
Our arms and legs are really levers. A lever turns about a fulcrum. This is similar to the way a see-saw is designed. If you have ever sat on one, you will have noticed that the farther away from the fulcrum you are (the fulcrum being the center point), the more force- (or what we call "torque") you can generate. While cheetahs do have strong muscles (the size of the muscle also counts), they have the advantage that their tendons are attached farther away from their "fulcrums", which are the joints. Just as with the see-saw principle, they can generate more torque with the same amount of force, which means that even if a cheetah and a human had the same muscle mass, the cheetah would be much stronger, and faster.
Cheetahs are also able to generate a substantial amount of power for short bursts of time. This has to do with the muscle type. All animals have two major types of muscle: slow twitch and fast twitch. The fast twitch muscles are capable of enormous bursts of power for short duration, while slow twitch provide more steady amounts of power over prolonged distances. Fast twitch muscles generally do not use aerobic (oxygen-based) energy, instead relying on the conversion of sugars like glucose in the absence of oxygen. Cheetahs have a higher percentage of these fast-twitch muscles and they can generate enormous amounts of power for te short bursts they require to catch prey. But their evolution has cost them because they are otherwise very thin and lack bulk- meaning they can expend up to half of their energy reserves in one hunt alone. Had they had more of the slow-twitch muscles, they would be better able to conserve their energy, but at the cost of speed and power.
2006-06-29 06:22:35 · answer #1 · answered by bloggerdude2005 5 · 6⤊ 1⤋
For the same reason humans can't fly like birds do -- our bone and muscle structures are different. The fastest-running human would be left eating a cheetah's dust because the cheetah's internal systems are geared toward fleetness of movement. Externally, its skin also reduces wind resistance.
2006-06-29 06:22:45 · answer #2 · answered by ensign183 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why Are Cheetahs Fast
2016-10-22 07:45:41 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no animal that can run faster than a cheetah. That is simply a fact. You can check any reliable source.
2006-06-29 06:08:50 · answer #4 · answered by oil field trash 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We aren't designed to run faster than cheetahs. Their bodies are designed to reduce drag when running; we produce more drag when we run, which slows us down.
2006-06-29 06:05:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Faster for what period of time or distance? A human will complete a marathon in less time than a cheetah.
Oh, yes
2006-06-29 06:05:40 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
we evolved and found a different way of getting food. its called hunting. cheetahs run fast to get their food. back inthe day, humans threw spears to get food. we didnt need to run.
2006-06-29 06:06:26 · answer #7 · answered by Alex F 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We don't have to outrun the cheetah... just the other folks running with us.
2006-06-29 06:05:16 · answer #8 · answered by J.D. 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's a tricky question..
2016-08-23 00:48:32 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cuz cheetas cheat with their 4 legs against humans having only 2
2006-06-29 06:05:18 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋