131- Physics
You’re only as strong as the surface you’re standing on.
Which means that the surface I’m standing on needs to be at least paper strong if I ever decide to lift anything.
You’re only as strong as the surface you’re standing on.
Which means that the surface I’m standing on needs to be at least paper strong if I ever decide to lift anything.
Damn you laws of physics!
And that is what would really happen when Superman did so many Feats of Strength if he wasn’t secretly flying at the same time.
As a geotechnical engineer, this is one of my most common pet peeves. Finally someone else get it.
As the man said, “give me a long enough lever and a place to stand and I shall move the Earth!” It’s finding the place to stand which is the tricky bit.
(Well, the 30,000 mile long lever is also a bit of a toughie)
Not enough surface.
Curse those man-made surfaces and subway tunnels/sewers/secret underground lairs!
And it looked like such a “puny robot” too.
I wonder if Bulk is “always hungry.”
To be fair, no one ever said the Bulk was intelligent…
Wait, wouldn’t that mean the robot would make holes on the ground with its feet too? I mean, unless the robot was firmly rooted to the ground with something stronger than the actual ground. And I think this would probably only apply places that are hollow bellow, like having sewers or a subway, because otherwise… Gahhh!!!… It’s just a comic, it’s just a comic, it’s just a comic!!!… There… Nice strip. ;)
no, because the way pressure works is force/2d area, and the robot has large feet.
@aiarashi I think it’s a surface area and power thing. If Bulk’s feet were as big as the robot’s, he might stand a chance of lifting it up slightly. Still wouldn’t be able to hurl it into space, though. If the robot itself decided to leap into space, and if it had enough power to do so, it would make a hole in the ground much bigger than that made by Bulk.
@MTGradwell Oh, I think you’re right. I forgot about displaced surface principles, though I still kinda doubt it would make such a big hole on the ground unless there was nothing below the concrete.
Still, like I said it’s just a comic, so I wouldn’t try to analyze it too much anymore. XDDDD It’s funny either way. owo
Wait a second!!! How did the Bulk get his fingers under the Robot’s foot? did he just wait for it to step on him/his fingers?
hhmmmmm ok see my previous comment
@MTGradwell and Aiarashi:
Well, if you’re gonna drag physics into this, the square-cube law means that robot wouldn’t be able to motivate to begin with. Anything even vaguely human-shaped (and yes, that includes bipedal bullet-shaped robots with cone-feet) would have to be made of materials beyond the scope of human engineering to avoid collapsing on itself.
The Statue of Liberty being a fixed object, she’s got reinforcement all throughout her frame, but even then it was a technical headache getting her to stay upright (and she’s really just a big misshapen cylinder, anyhow). This thing wouldn’t even make it past the first step, even assuming the legs were made more human-shaped.
When Bulk learned physics..
Now if Bulk worked with someone who could manipulate the density of the ground…
old book quote: “if Superman tried to pick up an iceberg, he’d wind up with a pile of icecubes”.
OK, lets get nerdy and do some calculations…
First the following assumptions:
– The robot weights 1000 kg
– The robot is indestructible (so that it can withstand the enormous forces inflicted to it during this experiment)
– Bulk has unlimited strength
– Bulk is 2 meters tall (2.6 meters when arms are extended and in upright position)
– Bulk has a size 50 feets (givin his feet a combined surface area of about 600 cm^2)
This comic is not about lifting the robot, but throwing it into space. In order to escape the earth’s gravitational pull, an object must have a velocity of 11.2 km/s (approximately).
Bulk must give robot this speed during the 2.6 meter distance he is able to lift the robot. This means that Bulk must lift the robot so hard that it accelerates at a rate of 48.246*10^6 m/s^2. With this acceleration the robot will achieve the required speed (11.2 km/s) in just 230 microseconds. During this 230 microseconds, Bulk must inflict a constant force of 48 billion newtons to the robot.
In order to comprehend the Bulk’s strength better, let’s convert this to a more familiar unit; Bulk must work with a power of 742 million horse powers!
The same 48 billion newton force that Bulk directs to the robot is also directed to the ground through Bulk’s feet. This force is equal to Bulk weighting 4.9 million tons! So, Bulk’s feet experience a pressure of 8167 tons/cm^2 that’s equal to 800 000 MPa.
Concrete has a compressive strength of 40 MPa and Granite 130 Mpa. So even if Bulk is standing on solid concrete or on bedrock, the surface will give in and Bulk will sink into the ground! Q.E.D.
(the calculations above are very rough and may contain some rounding errors, but the orders of magnitudes should be correct and you should get the point..)
You deserve a cookie for these maths.
So much fail…