The Michael Jordan of Math Speaks

So I posed a question to Justin.

Justin Lambright is currently a grad student, (studying for his doctorate in Mathematics), at Lehigh University. He already has a masters in the stuff and I figured that since he is the Master of Mathematics, the Poster Child of Pi, the Jordan of Geometry, the Ali of Algebra, the Lord of Logarithms, and the King of Co-signs, he would be able to help me answer the pending question: Can the resident Canadian Geese of the United States fit in Guam?

I found out from the National Audubon Society: Today an estimated 4 to 5 million members of the species live cheek by jowl with civilization, year-round, in every state except Hawaii and in every Canadian province. (The Geese that Came from the Wild, article by Jack Hope for the Audubon Society.)

So THEN I said.... We can safely assume that we would need to relocate 2 million geese if we are only looking to relocate the geese in the United States alone.


But we needed the specs. Wikipedia helped me out: This species is 76-110 cm (30-43 in) long with a 127-180 cm (50-71 in) wing span.^[3] Males usually weigh 3.2–6.5 kg, (7–14 pounds), and can be very aggressive in defending territory. The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter at 2.5–5.5 kg (5.5–12 pounds), generally 10% smaller than their male counterparts, and has a different honk. An exceptionally large male of the race B. c. maxima, the "giant Canada goose" (which rarely exceed 8 kg/18 lb), weighed 10.9 kg (24 pounds) and had a wingspan of 2.24 m (88 inches). The life span in the wild is 10–24 years.^[3]

Wikipedia helped me out with the Guam specs too: Guam lies between 13.2°N and 13.7°N and between 144.6°E and 145.0°E, and has an area of 209 square miles (541 km²), making it the 32nd largest island of the United States.

Justin calculated and I just received his response:

Simeon,

In response to the question, could 2 million Canadian geese fit in Guam, the answer is yes. If you take the largest Canadian goose with wingspan of 2.24 m, and estimate that for him to stand comfortably and be able to spin around with wings outstretched, we could allot 25 m² per goose (5m by 5m). Using this estimate as to the amount of land space they would occupy, we come to a total of 50 km² as the necessary area to house them. The area of Guam is over 500 km² which leaves ample room for them to roam comfortably. Also since the majority of the human population only occupies about half of the available space, it seems plausible that they would be able to fit in Guam. The question left unresolved is whether they could survive comfortably and not out eat all the available resources, not to mention the sheer volume of poo they would leave behind may drive the locals to the brink of insanity. Also geese can be rather aggressive which would make me wonder as to the stability of the island.

In conclusion, they would fit, physically and maybe even somewhat comfortably, as opposed to just stacking them on top of each other to save land space. I hope this helps.

Your pal,

Justin

If they are so territorial, perhaps Puerto Rico would be a better fit. Have any of you been to Puerto Rico? Do you think the average goose would like it there?

Justin can be reached at his Lehigh office 610-758-4707; his office is #312.