MeowL vs Excel

Press ▶, then Space (or tap the drawing) to flap. MeowL dodges spreadsheet errors; every frame is calculated by the same engine as a beam.

How it is calculated

Time plays from 0 s (▶); each press of Space, ↑ or a tap on the drawing records the moment as a flap. A flap sets the climb speed to vflapv_{flap}; between flaps MeowL falls with gravity gg, so with tkt_k the last flap and yky_k the height there, y=yk+vflap(t−tk)−g(t−tk)2/2y = y_k + v_{flap}(t - t_k) - g (t - t_k)^2 / 2. The heights at the flaps add up in closed form: yk=y0+∑(vflapΔt−gΔt2/2)y_k = y_0 + \sum (v_{flap} \Delta t - g \Delta t^2 / 2) over the intervals between flaps. Columns of spreadsheet errors move past at vxv_x; MeowL crashes when it is within rcr_c of a column outside its gap, or of the ground or the sky.

Assumptions

A cat-owl is a circle of radius r_c with wings. No air drag. Excel errors do not move up or down, and do not get fixed either.

Where it applies

0 ≤ t ≤ 120 s. The play stops at a crash (stops when: crash); the score counts the columns passed until then.

References

  • Flappy Bird (2013), for the genre
  • Any spreadsheet, for the obstacles

Inputs

InputSymbolUnitDefault
Timets0
Flaps
The moments MeowL flapped its wings.
flaps

Checked against sources

Each case below was calculated by this calc and agrees with the value from its source (within the tolerance where one is shown).

No flap: half a second after the start

Source: By hand: y = y0 + v_flap·t − g·t²/2 = 25 + 13.5 − 10 = 28.5 u

Inputs: Time = 0.5 s; the others as above.

ResultSourceThis calc
Height of MeowL28.5 u28.5 u

A flap at 0.5 s restores the climb speed

Source: By hand: 28.5 at the flap, then 28.5 + 27·0.1 − 40·0.01 = 30.8 u, and 27 − 80·0.1 = 19 u/s

Inputs: Time = 0.6 s; Flaps = 0.5; the others as above.

ResultSourceThis calc
Height of MeowL30.8 u30.8 u
Vertical speed19 u/s19 u/s

Without flaps a cat-owl falls (it is not a pure owl)

Source: By hand: 25 + 27·1.3 − 40·1.69 = −7.5 u, below the ground: a crash

Inputs: Time = 1.3 s; the others as above.

ResultSourceThis calc
Height of MeowL-7.5 u-7.5 u

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