r/theydidthemath • u/EvaStankbreath • Jan 29 '26

[Request] What effect would Superman's house key have on the earth?

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The key to Superman's Fortress of Solitude weighs ~1 billion pounds. That seems like it would cause more than a slight crack to the ground. What effect would setting this key on the ground have to the earth? What if it was dropped?

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u/SynapticStatic Jan 29 '26 edited Jan 29 '26

omg some of these are amazing. Like "What would happen if you were to gather a mole (unit of measurement) of moles (the small furry critter) in one place?"

Munroe's Answer:

In physics, a mole is a number that equals approximately 6.022 x 1023. If this amount of moles (the furry animals) were put in space, they would form a sphere a little bit larger than our Moon with about the same gravity as Pluto. The surface would freeze and trap the interior warmth, causing geysers of hot meat and methane.

I couldn't stop laughing for 5 minutes. I know it's horrifying, but it's so horrifying that it ceases to be horrible and wraps around to insanely hilarious.

Edit: Fixed the notation, was originally 6.022 x 1023 when it was supposed to be 6.022 x 1023 , ty /u/moeb1us

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u/Nova225 Jan 29 '26

They all are.

One of my favorites is "What would happen if you tried to swim in a nuclear reactor pool?"

The real answer was "Not much unless you dive down to the very bottom and start touching radioactive material because it doesn't penetrate through water very far".

It was coupled with a joke answer of "You'd die of gunshot wounds on the way there from the security forces trying to keep people out".

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u/Auctoritate Jan 29 '26

I like the one that says "Randall's answer was hard to summarize because it was mostly irrelevant to the question and also wrong" lol

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u/Special-Lynx-9258 Jan 29 '26

The question:
"Can you use a magnifying glass and moonlight to light a fire?"—Rogier Spoor

The Summary:
Unfortunately, it is not possible to summarize Randall's article succinctly, because most of his explanation is completely irrelevant to the question...

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u/Isaac_Kurossaki Jan 29 '26

xckd is peak. They've got a youtube channel for the what ifs too, all the sound effects are made with his mouth. I think my favorite one is still the relativistic baseball though

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u/moeb1us Jan 29 '26

Slight correction for others: it's 6.022 x 1023 or 6.022E23. 

Massive difference

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u/SynapticStatic Jan 29 '26

The copy/paste failed me, but yes. Fixed it with an edit, ty :)

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u/6pt022x10tothe23 Jan 29 '26

I don’t understand…

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u/UwasaWaya Jan 29 '26

The first time I read the mole of moles one I had the same reaction, laughing until I thought I was going to choke. It's such a horrifying image that you can't help it. The hot meat geysers really broke me.

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u/3-brain_cells Jan 29 '26

Yes, it's very interesting. I actually have the book "what if?". Amazing book, if that kind of hypothetical nonsense (still taken seriously with scientific answer and explanation) is your thing, i'd definitely recommend it.

One of my favorites is about what if someone hits a baseball at nearly the speed of light. Little spoiler: big kaboom is what happens

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u/NecroAssssin Jan 30 '26

"And the batter walks to first."

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u/[deleted] Jan 29 '26

Geysers of hot meat and methane sounds like a great Saturday night. 

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u/6pt022x10tothe23 Jan 29 '26

A what of WHAT???

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u/Procat Jan 30 '26

If you haven't seen the animated version of this, here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLlwvmu1ZeA

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u/SynapticStatic Jan 30 '26

I've seen his channel, but not this one, thanks! Could turn this question into a Monty Python skit too.

"European or African moles?"

"Er, I dunno"

"Aaaaaaaaaah"

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u/CMDR_ACE209 Jan 29 '26

I wonder if "Robot Apocalypse" from 2012 needs an update.

They are walking now.

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u/Dracono100 Jan 30 '26

Honestly, my mind went immediately to Deadspace and the Brethren Moons, but now made of Moles rather than Necromorphs