Two College Math Majors Build 800-Pound Snowball and Roll It Downhill -- Their Calculations Get a Great Big 'F'

During a rare storm that dumped about 12 inches of snow on Portland, a pair of Reed College math majors decided to make a large snowball.

As they rolled it back and forth, it picked up more and more snow and gained mass. College officials said the ball was some 40 inches in diameter and weighed from 800 to 900 pounds. “It was a big snowball,” maintenance manager Steve Yeadon told Reed Magazine.

By 8 p.m. last Saturday, a crowd had gathered and was chanting “Roll it! Roll it!” Of course, they gave their peers what they wanted.

But the math majors apparently didn't figure the trajectory correctly. The snowball sped up, shifted direction, and smacked into a dorm wall.

Image source: Reed Magazine via Reed College Community Safety Office 

It ripped the wall off its studs and barely missed a window. No one was injured.

Image source: Reed Magazine via Reed College Community Safety Office 

Three students sitting in the living room were startled by a “huge crash,” Reed Magazine reported; then they saw the giant crack running down the bedroom wall.

Image source: Reed Magazine via Reed College Community Safety Office

The culprits immediately reported the incident to the Community Safety Office, saying they were responsible. The AP reported that the snowball builders have not been disciplined.

It took a Reed maintenance worker 45 minutes to cut through the snowball to inspect the damage estimated between $2,000 to $3,000.

(H/T: Drudge Report)