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Old 2013-02-10, 02:09   Link #31874
magnum12
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: United States
Even though
Spoiler for spoiler from EP 5:
, something just doesn't seem to add up regarding them supposedly
Spoiler for spoiler from EP 5:
.

Please keep in mind that my argument is based on the manga adaptation. Excuse my paranoia regarding spoilers, even if I'm doing a scientific discussion. It is my personal belief that the stakes
Spoiler for spoiler for theory purposes:
. As evidence for my argument, I bring in the concept of sectional density. In summary, sectional density is a measurement of the theoretical destructive potential of a piercing weapon. However, this formula is only ever practically used for relatively low velocity piercing weapons (such as spears, darts, etc). The formula for calculating SD is ((weight)/(diameter^2)). Diameter is measured from the widest point of the business end of the weapon in question (the pointy end). The units used for diameter are inches for future reference.

Based on the manga, the stakes appear to be about 1-1.5 feet long and weigh about 1 pound. The business end appears to have the width of a typical cross bow bolt, which is usually about 0.37 inches. Plugging these numbers in, we get (1)/(0.37^2) = (1)/(0.1369) = 7.305.

7.3 doesn't seem very large, but put into appropriate context, those numbers are horrifying. A result greater than 0.9 is
Spoiler for potential spoiler of EP5 by proxy:
. An example weapon with this number, are some ice age era darts that have been found, nick named "mammoth killers". A heavy for example has a SD of about 2. An example of a weapon with a SD of over 7 is the WW1 "trench spike". This little terror is essentially a specialized dagger (varying from 1-1.5 feet long and being anywhere from 1-1.4 pounds) that was
Spoiler for potential EP 5 spoiler by proxy:
. Alas, they're pretty rare now a days.
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