this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2024
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[–] Sludgehammer@lemmy.world 33 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Using regular physics a human scaled up that much they would immediately start to collapse into a pulpy sphere of mostly water, which would further collapse into a star. If you ignored the giant human's body pull on itself, then you'd have to look at the Earth pull on the flesh of the giant, trying to put what amounts to a giant hand shaped water balloon inside a planets roshe limit probably won't end well. If we ignore that, then the Earth would be deep inside your hand's gravitational field, so you probably wouldn't need to squeeze, just having your giant hand near the Earth would cause it to rip itself apart. If we ignore all the gravity based physics then the question becomes "How would muscles larger than planets actually work?".

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that to answer your question is "We have to ignore so much physics to make your question even possible that it's kinda meaningless." It's like asking "If ducks were made of cheese how fast could they fly?"

[–] coffinwood@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 4 months ago

And? Don't keep me hanging on the cheese ducks. Now I want to know.

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 8 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Very well explained.

I think a more interesting question might be: If the Earth were scaled down, could OP destroy it by squeezing it with their hand?

[–] Sludgehammer@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

If the Earth were scaled down, could OP destroy it by squeezing it with their hand?

So like a Earth shaped ball made up of the same things as the Earth?

If it were at the same temperature as Earth's components it'd simply explode since the core of the Earth is well above irons boiling point and is only kept solid and liquid by the pressure. If the ball were cold then no, it'd be a rock. I suppose if the scaled down Earth model were made from roughly analogous materials (iron cored ball of lava with a very thin rock shell) then you could probably crush it quite easily... although you'd basically holding a ball of lava so you'd act quickly to finish crushing it before your hand burned off.

[–] AThing4String@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago

This is probably more in the spirit of the OPs question I think.

[–] lath@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The outer core is liquid though. If you could crack through the crust and mantle, liquid would squoosh out.

[–] pwnicholson@lemmy.world 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

No, I don't think so.

The Earth's density is 5.51 g/cm³.

For comparison, a baseball has a density of 1.3 g/cm³.

Even just the Earth's surface crust has an average density of 2.7 g/cm³ (it's more dense under the ocean)

Unless you can compress a baseball with your hands, you're not making a dent in the Earth.

The only way it would work would be if your strength increased proportionally with your size, which isn't the case normally for humans (someone 20% taller than another person isn't necessarily 20% stronger than them).

[–] 14th_cylon@lemm.ee 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

it is worth noting that density is not the only factor. wet sand or mud will also have high density (not as high as earth, but still), but your ability to crush it will be drastically different.

can you use tools in that scenario? do you have fix point available? can you take another planet and smash them together until one of them breaks? 😆

[–] Confidant6198@lemmy.ml -4 points 4 months ago

Nah, just one palm and trying to squeeze it as hard as possible

[–] lurch@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago

you could, because the crust is relatively thin, already has cracks and it's molten (magma) inside.

Just gripping it would probably destroy it, because it's rotation and inertia would rip it apart at the continental rifts.

Perhaps, but you would burn your hand. Earth is filled with molten rock and iron.

[–] SGforce@lemmy.ca -2 points 4 months ago

If you assume your body composition would allow you to move at a comparable pace then you would absolutely be more dense than the earth. Imagine if the earth were ripped from it's current path as you wind up to throw it, it should sheer to pieces like a ball of molten metal and sand.

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world -4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

No because you’d suffocate before you could destroy it.

[–] bazus1@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Fine. IF I was sized-up such that the earth fit in the palm of my hand and always moved with the same inertial frame as the earth and didn't require oxygen and enjoyed the same rates of movement and relative strengths that I enjoy currently regardless of relativity, ....

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago

An infinitely long turkey with a perfectly circular cross-section of a uniform density.