How absurd are these numbers really?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the implications of a hypothetical scenario where a 20 kg person accelerates at 1.8 x 10^5 m/s² for 1/30 of a second, reaching a speed of 6000 m/s. Participants conclude that such extreme acceleration would result in fatal consequences for the individual due to the immense forces involved, calculated to be approximately 18,400 G. The conversation highlights the absurdity of the numbers while emphasizing the importance of understanding the physical effects of high acceleration on the human body, drawing comparisons to real-world examples like racing drivers surviving extreme G-forces.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics concepts, particularly acceleration and force.
  • Familiarity with the concept of G-forces and their effects on the human body.
  • Knowledge of units of measurement in physics, including metric units and conversions.
  • Awareness of real-world examples of extreme G-force survivability, such as motor racing incidents.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the physiological effects of high G-forces on the human body.
  • Study the historical records of G-force survivability in motorsports, focusing on David Purley's crash.
  • Explore the physics of acceleration and its applications in real-world scenarios, such as rocket sled experiments.
  • Investigate the use of absurd scenarios in educational contexts to enhance understanding of physics concepts.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics students, educators, and anyone interested in the effects of extreme forces on the human body, as well as those exploring the boundaries of physical laws in hypothetical scenarios.

Gabriel Ulisses
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
I stumbled upon these numbers on my test recently.
It is raelly basic stuff, but i want to know, what would actually happen if such thing happened in the real world.
We basically have a ball made of 20Kg of "person".
And it it accelerates at 1.8*10^5 m/s² for 1/30 of a second reaching 6000 m/s in such a short time.
This is essentialyl an explosion right?
Such high numbers, what would happen to the person herself and the environment around him?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Gabriel Ulisses said:
We basically have a ball made of 20Kg of "person".
I have no idea what that means.
And it it accelerates at 18*10^5 m/s² for 1/30 of a second reaching 6000 m/s in such a short time.
This is essentialyl an explosion right?
It sounds more like a cannon.
[Note: I think there is a missing decimal point in the acceleration]
Such high numbers, what would happen to the person herself and the environment around him?
What person? What environment?
 
Divide the acceleration by 9.81 to convert it to "g". Then Google the maximum g ever survived. As I recall a motor racing driver holds the record.
 
russ_watters said:
I have no idea what that means.

It sounds more like a cannon.
[Note: I think there is a missing decimal point in the acceleration]

What person? What environment?
It was just to state that it would someone, and not something, the effects such conditions would have on the human body.
Basically i asked: "What would happen to someone if he were to accelerate like this in the most mundane of situations? Would his skin melt due to friction and air resistance? His limbs detache from his body due to inertia? or would there be no person left after all?
And i did miss the decimal at 18, fixed it now, thanks :)
 
I don't think that realistic numbers are necessary to do an exercise. It might even be helpful to calculate something absurd to get students used to think about results. When tutoring schoolkids, they often either forgot units or added two different ones. In these cases I often used "trees" as a unit, to illustrate that 5 trees can be doubled or added to other trees, but one cannot add trees and bushes. So being absurd doesn't automatically disqualify a problem.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: russ_watters
Gabriel Ulisses said:
It was just to state that it would someone, and not something, the effects such conditions would have on the human body.
Basically i asked: "What would happen to someone if he were to accelerate like this in the most mundane of situations?
It would depend on how the acceleration is applied. Any method I can think of except gravity would be fatal.
 
CWatters said:
Divide the acceleration by 9.81 to convert it to "g". Then Google the maximum g ever survived. As I recall a motor racing driver holds the record.
So the op asks if 1,800,000m/s/s is survivable... That's about 180,000g. A racing driver called David Purley just about survived a150g crash and that's thought to be the word record. Rocket sled experiments in the 1960s stopped at about 60g.
 
Is this all to do with the plot of a book?
 

Similar threads

Graduate Fascinating number theory relationship
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Epothilone B study connected to 'Hard Problem of Consciousness' Model
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
Undergrad What Makes Prime Numbers So Mysterious?
  • · Replies 228 ·
8
Replies
228
Views
37K
Schools PGRE - A message to undergrads from physics grad school.
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
8K
The Mysterious Box by ZapperZ - Nov26-12
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
What Attracts You to Oregon?
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
8K
Graduate Is Super Mario Galaxy Physics Possible in Real Life?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
5K
Why do schools continually push the idea of teamwork?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K
Graduate What is the potential impact of warm dense matter (WDM) on astrophysics?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
5K
PF Fan Fiction: Mathematicians in Love
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
4K