Why You Don't Actually Want Super Strength! | Because Science w/ Kyle Hill - Summary

Summary

The concept of super strength is often romanticized in popular culture, but the reality of having immense strength would be far from ideal. With great strength comes the risk of accidentally destroying everyday objects, such as doors and glasses, and struggling with simple tasks like opening doors or playing games. Moreover, Newton's third law of motion means that every super-powered punch or kick would apply an equal and opposite force to the person throwing it, potentially causing harm to themselves. Additionally, the pressure generated by super strength would make it difficult to lift or stop heavy objects without crushing them. Even punching a bad guy would be more likely to result in severe injury or death rather than a heroic throw across the room. Overall, super strength would be more of a hindrance than a blessing in everyday life, and it would require additional superpowers, such as durability and density, to be useful.

Facts

Here are the key facts from the text:

1. The concept of super strength has been present in human stories for thousands of years.
2. Hercules and the Incredible Hulk are examples of characters with super strength in stories.
3. A strain gauge is a device used to measure the forces generated by muscles.
4. A strain gauge consists of a coil of conductive wire attached to a substrate that changes its length when a force is applied.
5. The change in length of the coil changes the flow of electricity through it, allowing for the measurement of force.
6. 2500 Newtons is a very good punch.
7. Super strength is the ability to apply larger forces than humans can usually generate to affect objects in ways that humans usually can't.
8. To punch through a concrete wall, one would need to apply 250,000 Newtons of force, which is 100 times more than the average human strength.
9. If a person were 100 times stronger than the average person, they would likely struggle with everyday activities due to their immense strength.
10. Human society is engineered for the average person, with door sizes, stop signs, and other objects designed for average human strength and abilities.
11. Newton's third law of motion states that every force has an equal and opposite force.
12. This means that when applying super strength, the same amount of force is applied to the person exerting the force as to the object being affected.
13. Pressure is equal to force divided by area.
14. Lifting a car with super strength would require applying mega-Pascals of pressure to the structural elements of the car.
15. Cars are made of strong materials that can withstand significant forces, but may bend or crush under super strength.
16. Stopping a plane with super strength would require applying 700 million Pascals of pressure to the nose of the plane.
17. This amount of pressure is more likely to damage the plane than stop it safely.
18. The compressive strength of concrete is much higher than the compressive or tensile strength of human tissue.
19. Applying super strength to a person would likely cause significant damage or even be fatal.
20. Super strength is not a possibility without other superpowers, such as durability and density, to prevent injury to the person exerting the force.