Book 28, Question 71
Why is a badminton shuttlecock both so fast and so quickly slowed?
But it is light and has a cone of feathers or plastic that grabs air.
A shuttlecock, or birdie, can leave the racket at over 250 miles per hour on a hard smash, faster than any other racket-sport projectile. The drag slows it very fast, so it drops steeply. This gives badminton its mix of fast smashes and slow, delicate shots.