Why is it so difficult to complete the milk crate challenge?
In: Physics
ELI5: roughly speaking every time you go up 1 milk crate, after the first, you increase the potential energy proportional to the number of crates. At the top of the crates, you have the potential to hit the ground with more force than needed to break any single bone in your body. assuming you fall directly on that bone with all your weight/energy.
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For more in depth explanation:
Explaining in terms of algebra based physics.
Standing on the ground your potential energy is PE =m*G*h
PE is roughly how hard of a fall you take as it turned into kinetic energy when you lose your footing
PE= m(mass in kg)*G(gravity=9.8m/s^2)*h(height in m)
(0 on the ground, because h = 0)
Standing on top of a stack of X number of milk crates it is now
PE=m*G*(X*h0(height of 1 milk crate=11inches=0.2794m))
Just standing on 1 milk crate increases your potential energy by m*G*0.2794
and that goes up X times for every crate you climb.
I’ll assume an average 62kg for mass, and use that as an example
1 milk crate = PE = (62kg)*(9.8m/s^2)*(1 * 0.2794)= 169.76344 joules of energy
3 milk crates = PE = (62kg)*(9.8m/s^2)*(3 * 0.2794)= 509.2903 joules of energy
highest i’ve seen is 7 milk crates = PE = (62kg)*(9.8m/s^2)*(7 * 0.2794)= 1188.34408 joules of energy
Now this is the energy you have at the top, which translates into force in 2 ways; a fall; force going into the crates as you descend and disperse your potential energy you gained climbing the crates
ASSUMING FALL FROM THE TOP OF 7 CRATES
POTENTIAL ENERGY is now your KINETIC ENERGY
KE = 1/2*m*v^2 = PE = 1188.34408 joules of energy
1/2*(62kg)*(v^2) = 1188.34408 joules
velocity you hit the ground with will be 6.1914m/s = 13.8498miles per hour
Force hitting the ground = m*g*h/s where s is the distance the force is being applied
62kg*9.8m/s^2 *1.9558m / 0.01m (very small part of you hitting the ground) is equal to
118834.408Newtons
it only takes 4000Newtons to break a femur. this is 29.708602 or about 30 times the force needed to break the strongest bone in your body.
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