Force Required To Destroy Three Planets

[Uberhulk]

Astrophysicist Scott Manley determined the energy required to destroy a planet (2.25 x 1032 joules). Is the energy required to destroy 3 planets simply a case of multiplying his result by three? If not, how much energy would it take to destroy 3 planets? This scenario relates to Incredible Hulks 634 (2011). When Hulk and his wife, Red She-Hulk, clashed, the impact obliterated the planet they were standing on and two nearby planets (and possibly some stars).

https://www.sciencealert.com/watch-how-much-power-does-it-take-to-blow-up-a-planet#:~:text=Easy!,trillion trillion joules of energy.

When Manley runs the particulars of Earth through this equation, he figures out that it'd take about 2.25 x 1032 joules, or 225 million trillion trillion joules. For much larger planets such as Jupiter, you're going to need about 2 x 1036 joules, which means 2 trillion trillion trillion joules of energy. Scott Manley

 

[Halc]

Astrophysicist Scott Manley determined the energy required to destroy a planet (2.25 x 1032 joules). Is the energy required to destroy 3 planets simply a case of multiplying his result by three? If not, how much force would it take to destroy 3 planets?

Suddenly you switched from energy to force.

I would imagine it would take very little force. How about enough force to drop the planets into each other, which would do a fairly good job of their destruction I'd think, and only a small force is required to do this if you have patience.

I also notice no definition of 'destroyed'. Knock over all the buildings? Send all its mass to escape velocity? Generally reduce the real estate values below some threshold?

About the 2e32 figure: Earth already has 10 times that much energy in its orbital kinetic energy, and it seems pretty un-destroyed. I think we need to be more specific.

 

[Uberhulk]

I can't post scans of the feat due to copyright issues. The planet they are standing on is turned to rock and dust, two nearby planets are completely vaporised. How much energy, in joules, would that take?

 

[phinds]

I can't post scans of the feat due to copyright issues. The planet they are standing on is turned to rock and dust, two nearby planets are completely vaporised. How much energy, in joules, would that take?

The very close planet is turned to rock and dust but the ones farther away are vaporized? That doesn't even make any sense.

 

[some bloke]

I think it's fair to say that this one doesn't hold up to scrutiny;

1: if the local planet was turned to debris (rock & dust) and the further planets were vapourised then that means that the further planets received more energy than the local one, which wouldn't happen.
2:"and possibly some nearby stars" - stars are a long, long way apart, generally.

The only way I could see it is if the 2 nearby planets were somehow being held together by a field created by the main planet, like iron filings bunched at either end of a magnet, and that when the main planet was destroyed, the field collapsed and the other planets ceased to be held together, but that's an awfully specific way to do it!

Alternatively, their planet may have broken into 2 large pieces, which then accellerated toward the other 2 planets to the point where their collision caused vapourisation, but again, that's much more special case.

by "clashed" I assume that they did the classic flying-punch directly onto one another's fists, creating the classic shockwave of destruction? In which case, the question you're asking is, essentially, "How hard would you have to clap to destroy 3 planets?". At which point you're looking at the theories behind particle accelerators - what would happen if you launched 2 hulk-fist sized objects at each other at near the speed of light?

I don't know enough about it to answer, but it would almost certainly involve more damage to the main planet than those nearby. Maybe it would make a black hole, or antimatter, but again, I don't know!

 

[Uberhulk]

In comics books the early writers, such as Stan Lee, had a good understanding physics (if you take into account that this was the pre-internet era), that's not the case today, which is why we see more and more outlandish stunts or feats as we call them. The thing with these feats isn't to look at whether or not they're feasible, because they're obviously not, the main thing that concerns comic book fans is how much force is being exerted/displayed.

Hulk has been splashed with water from a wishing well so can let go knowing everyone will die and come back to life (which leads to a philosophical question, is it genocide is everyone comes back to life??), anyway, I digress, as Hulk is about to smash his fists into the planet, his wife charges at him and we see a big yellow ball of energy and people turned to bones, the planet begins to crack, like an egg, and there are two planets to its left (some would argue they are moons). In the next page, Hulk is standing on what's left of the planet, a few rocks, and the other two planets have disappeared.

The scans are in this answer:

https://www.quora.com/q/marveldcfea...-The-Dark-Dimension-Incredible-Hulks-634-2011

 

[phinds]

... main thing that concerns comic book fans is how much force is being exerted/displayed.

Which is, in this case at least, absurd because the scenario is so ridiculous as far as physics is concerned that it amounts to trying to use the laws of physics (because what else is there?) to determine a force in a situation where those same laws have been suspended. In other words, the question is "if the laws of physics don't apply, what do the laws of physics say about <insert nonsense of your choice>".

 

[Uberhulk]

Which is, in this case at least, absurd because the scenario is so ridiculous as far as physics is concerned that it amounts to trying to use the laws of physics (because what else is there?) to determine a force in a situation where those same laws have been suspended. In other words, the question is "if the laws of physics don't apply, what do the laws of physics say about <insert nonsense of your choice>".

This is the science fiction and fantasy group... Things aren't supposed to make sense.

 

[phinds]

This is the science fiction and fantasy group... Things aren't supposed to make sense.

Yes, I understand that but you are invoking actual science when you ask what is the force. Since you are talking about a universe where physics doesn't apply, the answer to your question "how much force" is "any damn thing you decide to make it".

 

[Uberhulk]

Yes, I understand that but you are invoking actual science when you ask what is the force. Since you are talking about a universe where physics doesn't apply, the answer to your question "how much force" is "any damn thing you decide to make it".

No, you don't understand it all you, you obviously and absolutely don't get the concept of comic book feats which is why you keep stating the obvious, we know the laws of physics don't apply. What are you going to tell us next, water is wet? This is a science fiction and fantasy forum. Understand what that entails. The question is very simple:

Astrophysicist Scott Manley determined the energy required to destroy a planet (2.25 x 1032 joules). Is the energy required to destroy 3 planets simply a case of multiplying his result by three?

You obviously don't have a number, so don't reply and you're on ignore for trolling.

 

[jedishrfu]

@phinds is stating an obvious fact which is quite true. IN the case, you brought up you can decide to use any force you want. Planets come in many sizes and compositions so obviously x3 for three planets isn't the answer.

A seasoned author would sidestep the issue completely and just invent some plausible scheme which is what @phinds is saying.

However, the best science fiction story relies on science in general but breaks only a few rules like warp speed travel... Think of a plausible scheme and if you feel x3 is reasonable then use it because we don't have any better answer unless you want to base it on the mass of the planet or something.

In the end, though readers will decide how much they like our story based on the choices you make.

With that said, its time to close this thread as there is nothing more to say.