MythBusters S13E08 HDTV x264-KILLERS

supersonic ping pong/ice cannon

myths tested:
can a ping-pong ball inflict a lethal injury if it flies fast enough?
can a cannon and cannonballs made from ice be a reliable weapon?

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_mythbusters_episodes#2014_season

one of the most epic episodes in a long time! :d

however...
as usually, mythbusters has a tendency to make really weird decisions and conclusions.
i love mythbusters, but sometimes they seem to lack all concept of reality.

⚠ SPOILER ALERT - (Click to reveal)

i don't get why they didn't used saw-dust to strengthen the canon it self?
they knew it was done on the canon balls, why would the canon it self be the exception?.
it would probably have become many times stronger and made it much more durable and re-loadable.

and there was other ways they could have strengthen the cannon, like they did on the wood canon a
while back.

and as far as ping-pong balls not being lethal... please!
i have always found mythbusters concept of what is lethal very fascinating.

if there is any chance that you can die from the injury, then obviously it lethal.
it does not mean it has to penetrate the most durable part of your body, there are plenty of soft spots
that would kill you.

and if you would get that ball on your throat(for example), making damage like we saw on the pig... it
would rip your aorta to peaces and you would bleed out in seconds... i call that pretty darn lethal.

mythbusters, on a number of occasions over the series history, have said that they often don't include
all their additional experiments due to time constraints. it may very well be that they did reinforce the
canon with other things, but didn't show it because it would have blown out the length of the episode, or
may not have done it because they didn't have the time to dedicate to it. or they were testing the purity
of the myth that they were using ice canons, which may not have made mention of them being
reinforced with anything.

regarding the lethality, adam did say at the end that 'barring a very lucky shot..' which indicates that
by itself, the ball hitting your torso would not be lethal. the likelihood of it hitting your throat is minute,
and once again they may have not tested the additional data due to time constraints, or might have just
not included those parts in the final cut.

i don't buy that argument.

if something is not lethal, that means it cant kill you no matter what.
luck has nothing to do with it.
or at the very least, the chance of kill has to be so low that it is statistically insignificant.

your throat area is a fairly large and exposed area, and is in no way 'minute'

there are several parts of your throat/neck witch would kill you. a crushed wind-pipe(takes 3 kilo to
crush) will make you shook to death.
a ruptured aorta would make you bleed out in minutes.

and lets talk about chest trauma.
if you get hit in the chest at the right place, hard enough, it could stop your heart without having to
puncture your chest.
want to bet a object travelling hard enough to make such an impact would do it?

there are other places to, like your temple at the side of your head. blunt force would break it, and it
would be very deadly. no penetration needed.

and how about other extremities, like your arms? a 0.5cm deep hole the size of a ping pong ball over
your wrist, and
you will bleed out before the ambulance gets there....

it seems to me, that it don't take much 'luck' at all.


and lastly, the argument that it 'might have been done, but now shown' is irrelevant.

yeas, i am aware. i have followed mythbusters for years, and i have seen every episode 10 times over
and most of the extra content released outside the show.

they might have made pigs fly to... but unless they show it, it didn't happen.

i totally agree with xip about the injury.. "an inch and a half" wound at your throat, abdomen, head
etc wouldn't be very survivable. if i remember correctly, they did an episode about bugs hitting the
throat of motorcyclists and killing them.. and that was confirmed (?) if the bug was big enough and
the velocity high. i don't get why this isn't considered lethal.