Why wont my Karate chopping hand pass through the table?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the reasons why a karate chopping hand cannot pass through a table, exploring both physical and engineering perspectives. Participants examine the roles of electromagnetic forces and the Pauli exclusion principle, as well as structural integrity and material properties in the context of martial arts techniques.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants reference Brian Greene's explanation involving electromagnetic forces between charges in the body and the object.
  • Others cite Lisa Randall's perspective on the Pauli exclusion principle as a factor in atomic interactions.
  • One participant suggests that the structural integrity of the table is significantly higher than that of the hand, indicating an engineering aspect to the discussion.
  • Another participant questions what causes the effect at the atomic level, emphasizing the importance of electromagnetic interactions.
  • Some argue that while the Pauli exclusion principle is relevant at the atomic level, it may not be necessary for understanding macroscopic interactions.
  • One participant discusses the physics involved in breaking a board, mentioning the energy required based on material properties and the need for sufficient speed and mass in the karate strike.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relevance and connection between electromagnetic forces and the Pauli exclusion principle, with no consensus reached on whether these explanations are complementary or distinct. The discussion also includes varying perspectives on the engineering aspects of the problem.

Contextual Notes

Some statements rely on assumptions about the applicability of atomic principles to macroscopic interactions, and there are unresolved questions regarding the interplay between different forces and principles in this context.

thebiggerbang
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In his PBS series videos, Brian Greene states the reason being electromagnetic forces between the charges in my body and the object (falling human and the ground in this case)

In her book 'Warped Passages', Lisa Randall states the reason being the Pauli's exclusion principle for the fermions in our body.

Are both the ways of looking at it correct? Or are they complimentary and have a connection?
 
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This is based upon physics of course, as everything is, but the answer is more in the engineering realm. The structural integrity of the table is much higher that that of your hand.
I'll let one of the educated folk take over from that.
 
Yes, that does play a part. But at the atomic level, what causes this said effect?
 
thebiggerbang said:
Yes, that does play a part. But at the atomic level, what causes this said effect?

You can pretty much look at it as electromagnetic interactions. The Pauli exclusion principle is really only talking about single atoms and when you're talking about macroscopic objects interacting, that's not something that needs to be taken into account.
 
To my understanding it is the electromagnetic force that keeps your hand from moving through a table, and it is the pauli exclusion principle that gives atoms a "size" bigger than a hydrogen atom, in addition to other things. Is the PEP the reason behind all of chemistry since it forces electrons to occupy different orbitals and hence determines their different chemical properties?
 
If it's a real question of what it takes for a person to strike a wooden board (or table) in a Tae Kwon Do or Karate manner - and break through it - then the physics is fairly straightforward. The energy required to break a board can be determined from its material properties - specifically the impact strength. The deformation energy involved in such a collision can be derived from the conservation of energy and the conservation of momentum. What remains then, before attempting the break, is a check that the karate hand can physically achieve the speed and mass needed to exceed that deformation energy level. It's good to check these things because failure is more painful than success. (As Newton would tell you had he been interested in the martial arts.)
 

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