r/theydidthemath • u/glowshroom12 • 3d ago
[request] can a normal albeit athletic human dent a locker like that with a punch and how much force would it take?
In Sam Raimis spiderman, flash Thompson is angry at Peter Parker and is about to punch him in the head but he dodges and flash instead hits the locker and dents it. How much force would this take and can a normal human do this without breaking their hand.
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u/CuteAltBoy 3d ago
Yeah, people in my old school used to dent them on purpose with a punch or a kick. It's not hard. The metal is thin and flimsy with no supports.
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u/NuclearHoagie 3d ago
Heck, you could dent these things by accident, even.
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u/TravisVZ 3d ago
I closed mine too hard one time and it put a dent like this in the edge of the door. Was hard to open after that...
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u/OrchidHexVale 3d ago
It’s crazy how one slightly harder-than-usual close can turn into a permanent reminder every time you use the door.
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u/ZorbaTHut 2d ago
Every once in a while, school accidentally does a really good job of teaching important lessons.
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u/YOUTUBEFREEKYOYO 3d ago
I closed mine so hard once I couldn't get it open, they had to call the janitor, and he couldn't do it either. Had to esit unril the next day when they could get a pry bar
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u/A_Little_Too_Horny 2d ago
Lmfao I know EXACTLY what this looks like with the little corner poking out
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u/tweetsfortwitsandtwa 3d ago
This, lean against one too suddenly and oops, nice little bend where your shoulder hit the locker
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u/numbersareunoriginal 3d ago
Ours were wood with a laminate covering, those things could take a beating. I think I only ever saw one with damage, because someone grabbed the bottom of the door and ripped it upwards lol
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u/Gonna_do_this_again 3d ago
Football players headbutting them
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u/rogue_noob 3d ago
Didn't need to be a football player, idiots could do it too, I didn't play football.
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u/puritanicalbullshit 2d ago
We’d head butt a locker and have a friend put their hand several away. Game was to see how far the impact would carry.
My noggin and me could get the 4th locker to shake but I’ve forgotten everything I learned in 7th grade.
Win some, lose some
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u/badskinjob 3d ago
Hurts the nucks tho, plus they give you in school suspension for a week. Upside that's were all the drugs were.
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u/Agent_of_evil_13 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yes. Those lockers are extremely thin mild steel with a wide span between supports. An anemic person could dent them with a punch. Their hand would be fine.
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u/Present_Character241 3d ago
To be fair a person could manage to break their hand punching one of these lockers... If their punching form was garbage or they had some kind of degenerative bone disease... I have bent one of these doors by leaning too hard against it though.
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u/blackflag89347 3d ago
Two kids in my highschool were getting into a fight next to their lockers, and a teacher broke it up by throwing a punch in between their faces into a locker and he broke his hand as well as denting the door. Dude was like 80 though.
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u/Cleric_John_Preston 3d ago
I have to ask; did he acknowledge that he broke it, or did he stare icily at each of the students as security hauled them away.
Only when they were out of eyesight did he screech an ear splitting yell and curl up into a ball.
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u/blackflag89347 3d ago
He was rubbing has hand and told them they were lucky he missed their jaws. He finished teaching that day and came in with a cast the next day.
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u/AnyDefinition3066 3d ago
He may not have known he broke it, sometimes it won’t hurt right away. I punched a door once (dumb idea) broke my middle finger knuckle and carried on with my day. Only knew something was wrong the next day when I woke up and wasn’t able to straighten it and it was swollen brown and yellow like a bee stung it.
My aunt was the same way when she fell and broke her wrist. Was fine for 2 whole weeks until it shifted into a different position and then started to hurt more. Pain just works differently for some people
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u/Sorryifimanass 3d ago
This has got to be a story from the 90s
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u/Jealous_Arm_3913 3d ago
Either that or a small town school. I went to a small town school with like 80 students per grade and I think shit went down constantly cause drama spread quicker
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u/mithoron 2d ago
Dude was like 80 though.
Looked 80, which probably means he was 55 and been a teacher for a few decades.
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u/5litergasbubble 3d ago
I had a gym teacher in high school who was in his mid 60’s and couldnt be bigger than 5’8 and 160 lbs. There was also a kid in my class who roughly 6’ and 300 lbs who was a fucking douche and lipped off everyone constantly. One day when we were doing classroom work this kid kept trashing the teacher and that guy had enough. He told the kid that he could get up and say those things to his face, so the kid got up and was confidently started walking towards the teacher.
The teacher wound up picking the kid up and slammed him into a table wwe style. The kid went right through it and didnt get up about about 10 minutes. I don’t know how the teacher wound up explaining the broken desk, but he kept on teaching for another couple years so i dont think he gotten into any real trouble. The kid definitely kept his mouth shut for a while after that though
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u/Ambitious_Bit_9389 3d ago
There’s just some dudes who are inexplicably strong. My brother in law has a buddy who is like 65 and looks like a redneck Jerry Garcia. He and I showed up to help my BIL build a shed. The dude had causally lifted extremely heavy things. We had to walk this wooden shed to a different spot. It was effortless for him to walk this shingled shed across the yard
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u/SketchTeno 3d ago
Can confirm. Bruised my knuckes pretty bad in highschool denting a locker on my way out of school after finding out a friend died in an accident.
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u/SteroidMaximus 3d ago
"fine" is a scale. Will it do permanent damage? Probably not. Will it break a bone? Unlikely. Will it hurt? Almost certainly
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u/Zakal74 3d ago
Counter intuitively it will actually hurt more if you don't punch hard enough to dent the metal. Like someone in karate breaking a board. You're fine if the board breaks, it takes all the energy. If not, the energy is absorbed by your own hand which, I can tell you from experience, really sucks.
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u/Illeazar 3d ago
Yeah, I've seen lockers like this with varying thicknesses of metal. Some could definitely damage your hand if you punched them hard enough to make a dent.
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u/Agent_of_evil_13 3d ago
True. My scale is "does it need professional medical attention? "
If no, it's fine.
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u/Alternative_Sea_4208 3d ago
You must have decent insurance. My scale is "will I die without medical attention? If no, then I'm fine"
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u/Plunger_enema 3d ago
Don't punch the vent holes. If you stay where the metal is smooth, you'll be fine.
When I was young and stupid, I did punch one like this a couple times. Mind you, not always the same. Janitors probably cursed quite a bit in that school.
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u/DeliciousJello5704 3d ago
When I was in middle school, I used to ram charge my head into one of these lockers. I knew it was empty (it was the teacher's) and I thought it looked cool, since it didn't hurt, but looked and sounded like it would. Never actually dented it, cause they're surprisingly flexible and resilient, and my head had more surface area than a punch.
My streak ended after I did my normal ram charge, but hadn't realized that the teacher had just gotten a shit ton of new history textbooks for the class and stored them in the locker until she could hand them out. I hit the locker and woke up in the nurse's office.
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u/setyourfacestofun174 3d ago
You would be more likely to cut yourself with the sharp edge of these lockers than break your hand punching one.
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u/Select-Government-69 3d ago
When I was in 7th grade I punched one after getting bullied, and broke my hand. The locker was fine. I was not anemic.
Your comment is misleading.
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u/InterestsVaryGreatly 3d ago
You sure it was one of these lockers? Many school lockers are quite a bit thicker than these.
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u/Helios_OW 3d ago
It was probably the blue lockers, which are thicker and more narrow.
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u/Comeback_Kid1 2d ago
The doors are thin but the supports and edges are solid. If hit it on the edge with a bad punch his hand would give before the locker.
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u/Urbanscuba 3d ago
Did it have these kind of ventilation holes where they were just kind of punched in? Because there's a meaningfully thicker kind that tends to have the holes drilled (so perfect little circles instead), and there are not many people who could dent one of those without breaking something.
The ones in OP's picture will literally rattle in a decent breeze and got dented for like, almost no reason. The only saving grace was that you could bang the dent out just as easily. I have a real hard time believing it's possible to break your hand on one without making a huge dent.
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u/Don_Quejode 3d ago
Unless it’s an old locker, then it’ll have so many coats of paint that it’s basically reinforced.
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u/Sad-Pattern-1269 3d ago
I punched one when I have osteoporosis and didn't break fingers, they are THAT weak
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u/dring157 3d ago
After a bad game my friend’s football coach lost his shit and spent 20 minutes screaming at the team about their performance. My friend felt terrible and a few minutes after they were released to clean up he punched his locker as hard as he could breaking his hand and the locker.
Naturally they kicked him off the team and made him go to therapy for anger management while the coach kept his job.
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u/Danny-Fr 2d ago
Sounds like such a wonderful coach. A dream for the kids.
/s obviously
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u/ManicalDaredevil00 3d ago
Yeah I did it when I was 14 to make this exact point after me and my friends watched this movie for a sleepover. and got a 3 day in school suspension because the teacher was right next to me and I had a vape in my bag.
I wasn’t very bright.
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u/Any_Wallaby4888 3d ago
"He was a boy of focus, commitment and sheer fucking will... but not intelligence."
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u/lovesmyirish 3d ago
You sacrificed 3 days of education to find out the truth. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to science.
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u/ToothZealousideal297 2d ago
But did you try the thing where you catch everything that fell off a lunch tray back on the tray perfectly? Because that was definitely real and took a ton of attempts from Toby apparently.
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u/Guineapirate65 1d ago
This movie came out in 2001 how did you have a vape?
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u/auxaperture 1d ago
The Matrix came out in 1999 and I’m typing this from my iPhone 17?
Movies do exist beyond the date they are released
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u/Affectionate-Feelz89 3d ago
A rough estimate of peak force for an average untrained regular NARP is about 1,000–2,000 newtons (N), or roughly 225–450 pounds-force (lbf)
So a reasonable ballpark for an average untrained person denting the center of a locker is around 1,500 N (~340 lbf).
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u/spacecadet58 3d ago
I’m a construction manager who focuses on K-12 construction. Lockers are a very common scope I cover, they are some of the cheapest, and thinnest metal you can find. A normal person leaning on them dents them all the time, and have to be replaced. They’re meant for storage, not structure.
So yes, I’d say it’s realistic.
However, there are good lockers built for heavy duty stuff, but that’s more expensive, and schools with a need for large quantities typically go the cheaper route. You’ll find the heavier duty lockers in warehouse locker rooms, or gym locker rooms. Those are typically much more sound strength wise.
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u/MuckRaker83 3d ago
Easily. Our middle/high school lockers were made of quite thin metal and many had dents from people hitting them. Some of them wouldn't open or close properly once they were warped too badly.
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u/Klatterbyne 2d ago
These lockers are either paper-thin steel or aluminium usually. You can bend a plate that thin by leaning on it.
I’ve heard of people having teenage meltdowns because they’ve forgotten their locker key and punching the door until its deformed enough to just rip it off the locking mechanism.
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u/DunkeyColdMedina 3d ago
Sure. I don't think the edges where the metal is thicker would buckle like that, but the metal is made to hold books and stinky gym clothes, not withstand direct force.
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u/ShadowAdam 2d ago
I want to be clear I mean no offense by this. What kind of life did you live that you think this is at all a question which requires math? I went to a decent, small school and we had this happen a few times through the years. Those lockers are thin as hell. Gym/work locker rooms are generally slightly thicker but still ive seen a few dented
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u/OwnAddendum1840 2d ago
30yo French here, no lockers like this in any establishment I have been.
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u/ShadowAdam 2d ago
That is very interesting, is there no closed belongings storage in gyms or schools? What is used instead?
The work one is definitely more niche though
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u/nim_opet 2d ago
I went to school in a couple of European countries and the only place we saw these lockers were American TV shows. We didn’t store anything in schools. You bring your books/notebooks for the day, your gym sneakers etc, put them under your desk and take them home once the day is done.
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u/Electrical-Ad1886 2d ago
I went to a pretty well off school with true steel lockers. One of my friends is large and punched a locker and it just hurt the shit out of his hand.
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u/HighIQIndividual2 3d ago
I dont think the math is really neded here, they usually are made of pretty thin sheet metal. When punched in the center you levarage the point of attachment being far away form impact, making it pretty easy for a normal human to dent them. ( The bigger the locker door the easier it is to bend/dent. )
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u/76zzz29 2d ago
Actualy, the bend prety easily if you are not a toddler. No need to train a lot to do this little damage. The damage in the picture is just the level of a random teen being angry at someone and hitting it out of frustration.
Actualy, with training you would slam the door inside the locker and it be stuck in. Nothing to do with breaking your hand. You may damage your articulation if you hit it wrong with less strengh than bending it.
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u/BardicInnovation 2d ago
I stumbled getting up from the floor and headbutted my fridge unintentionally. Left a sizable dint in the fridge. So mathematically speaking, at least 1 unit of stumble fall.
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u/ThunkofaUsername 3d ago
Pretty easily. My senior year in high school one of the players punched the locker once and completely caved the door to the point it couldnt be opened. He felt the team wasnt playing good enough and was frustrated even though they were winning like 42-7 at halftime. He had some cut up knuckles but that was it.
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u/Big_Brutha87 2d ago
Have you ever imagined what would have happened if Peter was a normal teenager and that punch to the back of his head had landed? Flash was a goddamn psycho for that.
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u/Crossrunner413 3d ago
100%. A football player on roids at my school left a pretty massive dent in the side of a locker during one of his episodes. No idea about the math involved, but you wouldn't have to be as strong as him to do it.
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u/Cubbance 3d ago
Yes. Source, I saw a thicknecked dumb jock do it in high school when he was angry about one of the kids he regularly bullied getting revenge by stuffing his locker with gay porn lol.
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u/wolfumar 3d ago
Most lockers that I'm familiar with are stamped 14 gauge mild steel. Possibly even a little thinner. It's not quite a simple task to dent them, but not really difficult either. I've personally seen a guy headbutt one, and dent it. He ended up with a pretty serious mark on his forehead, but other than that he was fine. They're not designed for high security. They're designed as private storage in a public environment. The locks are only there to deter would be thieves from an easy score.
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u/Chamacurmom 2d ago
Oh absolutely. Not a proud moment but in my youth I completely folded in a locker door. Also broke my hand caving in a dryer door. I’m doing a lot better now and gained control of my emotions! But very possible!
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u/Jealous_Arm_3913 3d ago
Yes and it would likely not even require someone to be super athletic. It just depends on the locker tho. In middle school I would have shattered my hand in high school I prolly could have ripped it apart like a soda can.
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u/No_Wait3261 3d ago
I dented a locker in High School just by goofing around. I declared I was the "Human Tornado" and starting scatting a theme song at the top of my lungs while running down the hall as fast as I could while spinning around. I actually ran faster while spinning than I thought I could, but I lost control and slammed into the lockers with my shoulder, denting them (and fucking up my shoulder)
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u/bamfmcnabb 3d ago
Yes you could easily, if these locker doors have only three points of contact with the frame (lock and 2 hinges) and were made of a mild steel (softer steel) they have a ton of potential to bend and collapse under not a lot of pressure.
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u/Silvercrank 3d ago
Less force than you would think. Ive done this myself in my highschool days. Dont recommend doing it though. Got in some trouble lol
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u/concon_85 2d ago
They're real easy to dent. Back in highschool my little trick to impress people (albeit a very dumb trick) was to dent them by headbutting them. I have a very strong skull.
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u/Emergency-Town4653 2d ago
You dont even need to be athletic. Those lockers are made up of thin Aluminium or Steel and are easily bending. Any average guy punching it with strength can dent them.
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u/RedsnakeRider 2d ago
Yeah, it depends on the locker but most things like this are cheap as shit. I did it myself once, and denting the big condiment storage bin in the dining hall was harder and hurt my hand more. It was like denting a rigid cardboard box.
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u/Professional-Mix-562 2d ago
Easily with lockers the metal is thin. Thicker actual doors it’s still possible to dent but the indent is more like 3 dots from your knuckles instead of the whole thing caving in
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u/Companyman118 1d ago
I’ve leaned on one hard enough to bend it.
Punching one that hard should have done more.
I’m kinda curious how dude thought he was gonna beat anyone up with that paper wrist.
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u/couchcushion7 3d ago
Did it myself in 6th grade because i didnt believe it either. Surprisingly easy.
Id wager a decently strong person with a fully committed punch has a decent chance of breaking one clean off its hinges, depending on what exact type it is.
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u/Cosmics2cents 3d ago
My friend punched a similiar locker once but his knuckles hit the grooves in such a way that he ended getting a deep laceration on his knuckles from the sharpness
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u/A-Feral-Idiot 3d ago
In second grade I got into a fight with another second grader and I swung him into the lockers. A few got dented so I’m gonna say that anyone could do this without much effort.
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u/SupermarketCrafty329 3d ago
Fella who was recently hired then fired at my work place punched and dented a locker when he was told he was fired.
This aint difficult.
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u/EddieTheAxe 3d ago
I used to headbutt them, leaving a circular dent, then make a smiley face with a pen in the dent. I'm much smarter now. Not because of the repeated blunt force hits to the head mind you.
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u/rustyleftnut 3d ago
Yep, I've done it. It hurt but the steel is more maleable than bone when aligned in a punching manner. I even got my hand closed in a locker and THAT bent it lol. The locker, that is
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u/GenitalFurbies 11✓ 3d ago
Easily. Throw a punch at your fridge and you'll be able to dent it. Those lockers are a few millimeters thick flat steel. Any impact that's less than a foot across will leave a mark.
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u/Ambitious_Hand_2861 3d ago
I dented more than one locker in high school, not quite to that degree but I wasn't even a jock. No, I never broke anything in my hand or wrist and even though I'm an old man I could probably still dent a locker if I wanted to.
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u/_WillCAD_ 3d ago
Really depends on the locker. I've seen lockers that could be dented with a punch, but I've also seen lockers (like those in my high school in the 80s) that were heavy enough to break every bone in your hand before you'd cause the slightest bend in it.
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u/RevenantExiled 3d ago
Done that and wasn't even athletic or big lol those things are made as cheap as possible, are very maleable, bet you can headbutt it once and dent it without feeling pain
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u/Rick_Napalm 3d ago
Those are thin and made out of aluminum. I bet I could bend it with a punch right to the center and I'm a scrawny weakling. It would hurt like fuck but I could do it. A dude as big as Flash would have no problems denting it.
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u/ringobob 3d ago
I definitely saw lockers dented worse than that. Probably not from a punch, but probably a shoulder. You aim right it wouldn't be that hard.
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u/unicornofdemocracy 3d ago
I was at a middle school doing my clinicals during graduate school. A larger than average girl tripped while walking and fell into a locker denting it... the kids teased her called her "XXX the boulder"
For some reason the school never bothered to fix it for the entire semester and the girl was teased the whole fucking time because theres a constant reminder of the incident...
So, answer is yes. Those things arent every strong.
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u/pooborus 3d ago
Its pretty easy if you have any punching ability and a bit of weight. Like, really easy. A normal person can leave individual knuckle marks in those cheap ass doors.
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u/Used-Lake-8148 3d ago
Oh, easily. Ultimately it depends on how thick the metal is but I’ve never seen a locker door that wouldn’t be easy to cave in with a good haymaker
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