[Sealobo]

I moved into a new apartment on the 28th floor.

Without fail, a guy goes home every night on his Harley around mid-night making a lot of noise. I can see him parking his bike on a terrace clearly from my bedroom window with no obstruction, about 400 feet away sightline.

I plan to make an egg-shooter. My question is, if the egg i launch will carry enough speed to strike this mofo with an AOA about 45 degree down, will he be injured? I mean, i don't wanna kill him. I only wanna make a mess.

* A picture from the launch site *

[Spheric Harlot]

If he has a right to do what he's doing, leave him alone.

Egg-throwers suck.

(and egg stains don't really come out of leather)

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

(and egg stains don't really come out of leather)

You're not discouraging him with this fact

-t

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

(and egg stains don't really come out of leather)

Thanks for the info. I knew i'd be getting help from here.

[Spheric Harlot]

That amounts to vandalism, then.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

My question is, if the egg i launch will carry enough speed to strike this mofo with an AOA about 45 degree down, will he be injured?

The real question is, will YOU be injured?

[The Final Dakar]

Be sure to record this and upload it to youtube.

[andi*pandi]

Be glad you don't live on the first floor then.

[nonhuman]

I would also worry about launching the egg without breaking it. If you need it to go a long distance, you're going to need to accelerate it to a pretty decent speed. But you'll need the acceleration to be gentle enough to avoid breaking the egg.

My recommendation would be some sort of sling-type launcher so that you can spend a fair amount of time spinning it up and getting it to an acceptable speed without requiring a super-long launch tube.

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Be glad you don't live on the first floor then.

it's louder when you're high up. i don't have a scientific explanation, maybe it's the echo from the surrounding buildings.

[The Final Dakar]

Reverberation.

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

I would also worry about launching the egg without breaking it. If you need it to go a long distance, you're going to need to accelerate it to a pretty decent speed. But you'll need the acceleration to be gentle enough to avoid breaking the egg.

My recommendation would be some sort of sling-type launcher so that you can spend a fair amount of time spinning it up and getting it to an acceptable speed without requiring a super-long launch tube.

but sling-type can't be accurate. also, i think i should spin the egg backward at launch for better carry distance and straighter trajectory path.

maybe i should boil the egg first.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

but sling-type can't be accurate. also, i think i should spin the egg backward at launch for better carry distance and straighter trajectory path.

True. But I think you'd be hard-pressed to accelerate an egg up to the necessary speed intact without either using rotational acceleration or a ridiculously long launch tube.

maybe i should boil the egg first.

Now you should worry about killing the guy.

[Sealobo]

by the way, i found my ammo.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

Now you should worry about killing the guy.

Really?

All of a sudden I feel like we have a challenge for MythBusters.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Really?

All of a sudden I feel like we have a challenge for MythBusters.

Hmm, I do work for the Discovery Channel... I wonder who I'd have to talk to in order to suggest this.

[The Final Dakar]

You could just twitter Adam Savage.

[nonhuman]

Well yeah, but I feel like I could probably do better than that...

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

Well yeah, but I feel like I could probably do better than that...

I guess i can easily hand-throw an egg 100 feet.

i would be surprised if it's less than 4x of that distance with mechanical assistance.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

Well yeah, but I feel like I could probably do better than that...

Just sayin' it's a type of direct line... But hey, any way it happens, I don't care.

[reader50]

Boiling spoils the effect on arrival. What about a paintball gun? It solves several of the practical problems, and doesn't require a hard-to-miss contraption visible on your balcony.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Really?

All of a sudden I feel like we have a challenge for MythBusters.

Jacking a boiled egg at someone from the 28th floor is a pretty sure-fire of killing them - if you hit.

[The Final Dakar]

I obviously underestimate how hard a hard-boiled egg is. But really Spheric, you repeating nonhuman's assertion doesn't make it any more perceptible in my mind.

[mattyb]

Well if you drop frozen peas from the Empire State Building ...

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Jacking a boiled egg at someone from the 28th floor is a pretty sure-fire of killing them - if you hit.

but even a boiled egg would shatter upon hitting at decent speed... hence having most of its energy scattered?

[Sealobo]

look what i found haha

YouTube - High power air cannon - launching eggs

[mattyb]

One ostrich egg is the same as 20-24 chicken eggs (I Googled). Launch one of those hard boiled bastards and it would be like a mortar hit !!!

You really should film it.

And arm yourself.

With something more powerful than an egg slingshot.

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Its quite possible that his motorcycle has been illegally modified. Its also highly likely that he's in violation of the local noise ordinances (town and apartment complex.) Make a video tape on night and mail it to the police and the property managers.

[mattyb]

I think launching a hard boiled ostrich egg is far more interesting.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Well if you drop frozen peas from the Empire State Building ...

I imagine frozen peas in someone's hands would be deadly enough.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Chuck Norris's hands? Is that who you mean?

[The Final Dakar]

I'm doing well in this thread.

[lexapro]

You need to know how much force (in newtons) it would take an egg to kill a person. Then, knowing the mass of the egg and the acceleration constant (9.8 m/s^2) you can determine if your egg after that length of time would meet that force. Don't forget to resolve it into X and Y coordinates, as you are shooting on a 45 degree angle, not straight down.

∑Fx=MAx
∑Fy=MAy

Use SOH CAH TOA, construct a triangle, find the hypotenuse.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I obviously underestimate how hard a hard-boiled egg is. But really Spheric, you repeating nonhuman's assertion doesn't make it any more perceptible in my mind.

Hard?

Dense.

And FAST, after a 28-story drop.

It's a fairly heavy object, with an extremely aerodynamic shape, thrown downwards towards gravity's acceleration.

Being boiled, it will not disintegrate until impact.

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV 

Its quite possible that his motorcycle has been illegally modified.

no legal or illegal modification can make a Harley louder.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Hard?

Dense.

And FAST, after a 28-story drop.

It's a fairly heavy object, with an extremely aerodynamic shape, thrown downwards towards gravity's acceleration.

Being boiled, it will not disintegrate until impact.

Yeah, MythBusters.

[lexapro]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Hard?

Dense.

And FAST, after a 28-story drop.

It's a fairly heavy object, with an extremely aerodynamic shape, thrown downwards towards gravity's acceleration.

Being boiled, it will not disintegrate until impact.

What is the terminal velocity? Remember, there is a point where the forces in the +y will equal those in the -y, thus reducing acceleration to 0 and maintaining a constant velocity.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

no legal or illegal modification can make a Harley louder.

Hell yes it can.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Hell yes it can.

Mythbu-- just kidding. **** yes. Look up "baffle".

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Hell yes it can.

how? you go from no muffler to negative muffler?

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by lexapro 

What is the terminal velocity? Remember, there is a point where the forces in the +y will equal those in the -y, thus reducing acceleration to 0 and maintaining a constant velocity.

Unfortunately, I lack the mathematical backing of the truly physics literate.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by lexapro 

What is the terminal velocity? Remember, there is a point where the forces in the +y will equal those in the -y, thus reducing acceleration to 0 and maintaining a constant velocity.

Presumably, that point is the Harley owner's head.

I was always good at maths.

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Presumably, that point is the Harley owner's head.

either that, or his groin.

[The Final Dakar]

I'm surprised cash hasn't stopped by and posted the pic from the South Park episode yet.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Presumably, that point is the Harley owner's head.

I was always good at maths.

No, the owner's head (or groin) is the point where the trajectory is intercepted and the VELOCITY (not acceleration) is brought down to zero.

the y/-y business refers to the point where the egg stops getting any faster, not where it stops moving.

However, AFAIK, the egg will continue to accelerate until the air friction becomes so great that it cannot get any faster. (If there were no air friction, it would continue to accelerate indefinitely, asymptotically approaching a theoretical terminal velocity - well, assuming it would never reach the center of gravity, or hit the mass causing it .)

I seriously doubt that, given the shape of the egg, this speed would be reached by the time it's travelled 28 stories' height.

[Sealobo]

right... i should attach some feathers to increase the Cd of the egg. like i said i don't wanna kill the guy.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

right... i should attach some feathers to increase the Cd of the egg. like i said i don't wanna kill the guy.

Now you're thinking. Can you also film the testing please?

[Sealobo]

no i refuse. but i will do a webcast when i actually do the launch.

Testing is not my style.

[mattyb]

You should prepare this properly. Wouldn't want to dent the gas tank instead of crushing his balls.

[Andy8]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

Without fail, a guy goes home every night on his Harley around mid-night making a lot of noise. I can see him parking his bike on a terrace clearly from my bedroom window with no obstruction, about 400 feet away sightline.

I have the exact same issue, but it is at 6am every morning, and the Harley is just 30 metres from my bedroom (5th floor)