SortStack #365 — 2027-06-09
By speed · Order from slowest to fastest.
- The growth of a cave stalactite 0.1 mm/year
Most stalactites lengthen by less than a tenth of a millimetre a year, dripping mineral by mineral over millennia.
- The drift of a tectonic plate 21.9 mm/year
Plates move about as fast as your fingernails grow, yet over millions of years they have rearranged whole continents.
- A swarming desert locust 14.5 km/h
A single locust swarm can contain billions of insects and devour as much food in a day as tens of thousands of people.
- A domestic cat at full sprint 49 km/h
A house cat can outsprint many dogs over short distances, but tires quickly after the burst.
- A record badminton smash 565 km/h
The shuttlecock is the fastest object in any racket sport, though it decelerates almost as quickly as it launches.
- A bullet from an AK-47 2.7K km/h
The AK-47 is the most widely produced firearm in history, prized for working even when caked in mud and sand.