Can a shock wave from an 18th-century cannonball kill without hitting?

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33 replies · 17K views
Ok, we are now mixing up the shockwaves from explosions, supersonic jets and passing ordnance.

I believe the question that needs to be answered is the following: What velocity would a projectile need to have in order to generate a shockwave similar in magnitude to that produced by explosion that is capable of killing solely by it's shockwave.

The answer is most likely, faster than fast.
 
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another possisble mechanism

my husband read the same incident as 1oldman in a history of Nelson's Trafalgar (1805). He told me about it and I was "shocked" LOL because as a physician I could not understand the mechanism of injury. I agree that the cavitation of cerebral vessels could definitely account for the sudden death described. Also refer to a condition called "commotio cordis". Knowing the whiffle bat risk, let me say that I found my first reference to this in Wikipedia. Anyway, even though commotio cordis is described as being caused by blunt trauma, I think it reasonable to consider a shockwave as an instrument of blunt trauma. My husband personally experienced shockwave/blunt trauma as a police officer, when he was shot at close range by a hi-powered pistol while wearing body armor. Two things seem to have saved his life: the ballistic Lexan clipboard that the bullet penetrated before hitting his chest, and the impact didn't occur in that window of vulnerability (see the Wikipedia article). The bruise lasted a month!
 
Deat by Shockwave

Uptherebels, thank you for that wonderfully professional explanation to the possible causes of dearth by shockwave and to the reference to commotio cordis in wikipedia. Now all I have to do is find out if Dr. Frysinger agrees that said cannon ball could produce the required shockwave. :smile: