projectile question...!?

[petrushka.googol]

Hypothetically if we could create a David and Goliath scenario in the lab (With a 9 foot Goliath) what would the ideal size of a projectile from David's sling be to slay the giant?

 

Does the story gel well with physical parameters?

 

How muscular a David would we need to overcome the physical limitations of force?

 

Any thoughts?

 

(Also the story is based in fable the analogies are real, that is why i thought of this conjecture).

 

 

[swansont]

What is a physical limitation of force? David used a sling, which gives a mechanical advantage, and would be a matter of coordination at least as much as it would be strength. People who can throw things accurately with high speed (like pitchers in baseball) aren't necessarily more muscular than other folks. It's also about their efficiency of motion and flexibility. It would be similar with a sling.

[imatfaal]

The Balearic (islands named for their skill) slingers of antiquity could seriously damage opponents at a distance wearing scale armour and were reckoned to be able to out-distance archers or javelin throwers (even with a launcher). The bullets or stones normally weighed between 1.5 to 10 ounces and could easily be slung 200 metres. This is a serious weapon that uses the advantage of the full length of the arm, a long sling, and a steady build up to get to velocities that could not be matched by a simple throw. As per above it is all a matter of technique and skill rather than brute strength - as the fable from the bible also alludes to; it is not that David is stronger it is that he is more skilled and cunning.

You ask about physical limitations - I am unsure of the record at present but modern slingers (whose lives do not depend on their skill) can project a 250gram slug about 300metres as a maximum; smaller slugs can go over 500metres.

[Delta1212]

Really, David and Goliath is the same scenario as that one iconic Indiana Jones scene, but with less attention paid to the humor of the situation.