Game Theory: Is Mortal Kombat's Killer Scream Possible?

MatthewPatrick13

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Is Mortal Kombat's Killer Scream Possible?

Mortal Kombat is full of gruesome ways to die, but they tend to be pretty over-the-top. One fatality in particular, though, stands out as not only possible, but even more terrifying in real life. Cover your ears because Mortal Kombat is showing us how to pop a head with the power of sound!

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Groverfield

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So, I heard the infrasound, but it didn't move me. Is it because my head is so huge or because it's full of rocks and hot air?
 

Something Amyss

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See, I knew all of this stuff already. Since they said it was possible, I was expecting something that dealt with the human voice, and since Sindel's scream is clearly audible, I doubt she's killing anyone with infrasound.

Also, I wasn't particularly worried because I already knew that the speaker I'm using have a frequency response of 30hz to 20khz, not to mention they couldn't produce the required sound pressure. Then again, I went to school for this shit, so I should hope I know it.

Also, when I was first leaning about resonance, my instructor brought up the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Groverfield said:
So, I heard the infrasound, but it didn't move me. Is it because my head is so huge or because it's full of rocks and hot air?
I would imagine they probably didn't provide a very loud example. Could you imagine the reaction if the Escapist hosted videos that made people ill?

Or it could be rocks. >.>
 

Darth_Payn

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The dB chart showing rock concerts (represented by KISS's Gene Simmons) in the make-you-deaf range made me think that by now every rock star should have hearing problems by now.
 

Samael Barghest

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Darth_Payn said:
The dB chart showing rock concerts (represented by KISS's Gene Simmons) in the make-you-deaf range made me think that by now every rock star should have hearing problems by now.
Isn't that why every rockstar wears hearing protection during their concerts?
 

Darth_Payn

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Samael Barghest said:
Darth_Payn said:
The dB chart showing rock concerts (represented by KISS's Gene Simmons) in the make-you-deaf range made me think that by now every rock star should have hearing problems by now.
Isn't that why every rockstar wears hearing protection during their concerts?
If they do, I didn't notice. They must have some really kick-ass plugs in their ears.
 

Cpt. Slow

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I guess I could thank Game Theory for letting me think that I'm a genius, because of this almost basic information pertaining the explanation of how sound works and moves.

So again, the killer scream isn't possible because no human voice would reach that amount of decibels. Ever.
 

Wilco86

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Cpt. Slow said:
So again, the killer scream isn't possible because no human voice would reach that amount of decibels. Ever.
Last time I checked Sindel wasn't human... =P
 

Rad Party God

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Yeah, the Mythbusters already did the "break a glass with your voice" thing and only one really loud dude could do it, with it's mouth screaming directly to the glass to break it, so I highly doubt a human voice can produce the fatal frequencies used by Sindel. Or even look that outrageous for that matter.

Wilco86 said:
Cpt. Slow said:
So again, the killer scream isn't possible because no human voice would reach that amount of decibels. Ever.
Last time I checked Sindel wasn't human... =P
Or even a live one for that matter.
 

Something Amyss

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Darth_Payn said:
The dB chart showing rock concerts (represented by KISS's Gene Simmons) in the make-you-deaf range made me think that by now every rock star should have hearing problems by now.
Many rockers use hearing protection. I would imagine most major acts do. Even still, hearing loss is common.

Even in the studio, actually.

If they do, I didn't notice. They must have some really kick-ass plugs in their ears.
There are some pretty good ones out there.

SupahGamuh said:
Yeah, the Mythbusters already did the "break a glass with your voice" thing and only one really loud dude could do it, with it's mouth screaming directly to the glass to break it, so I highly doubt a human voice can produce the fatal frequencies used by Sindel. Or even look that outrageous for that matter.
I should probably point out the obvious, that glass and a human skull are different anyway, and the skull (and its contents) resonate at different frequencies. Even still, glass-shattering guy pulled it off at 105 decibels, which is just shy of a rock concert, and shy of the SPL referenced in this video by quite a bit. Oh, and he tried multiple glasses without success first, if I remember right.

So yeah, that just makes it even less likely.

Wilco86 said:
Last time I checked Sindel wasn't human... =P
Doesn't matter, since we have no evidence of inhuman humanoids in the real world. The question wasn't "is this possible in a fantasy world of gods and magic?"
 

Groverfield

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Zachary Amaranth said:
-snip-
Groverfield said:
So, I heard the infrasound, but it didn't move me. Is it because my head is so huge or because it's full of rocks and hot air?
I would imagine they probably didn't provide a very loud example. Could you imagine the reaction if the Escapist hosted videos that made people ill?

Or it could be rocks. >.>
I turned it up pretty loud to see if it'd do something, almost to the point of average speaking level. And that was the 19Hz one that made you sick since it affects the inner ear, not the cranium. Guess its the rocks.
 

Wilco86

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Zachary Amaranth said:
Wilco86 said:
Last time I checked Sindel wasn't human... =P
Doesn't matter, since we have no evidence of inhuman humanoids in the real world. The question wasn't "is this possible in a fantasy world of gods and magic?"
If someone is an inhuman humanoid that doesn't make it "magic'n'stuff". Many animals can hear and - more importantly - produce different wavelengths of sound that humans make without magic, etc. So if Sindel has some kind of inhuman physiology with vocal cords or something...
 

Something Amyss

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Wilco86 said:
If someone is an inhuman humanoid that doesn't make it "magic'n'stuff". Many animals can hear and - more importantly - produce different wavelengths of sound that humans make without magic, etc. So if Sindel has some kind of inhuman physiology with vocal cords or something...
Sindel being who she is makes it 'magic'n'stuff,' though that wasn't exactly my point. However, since you went there, this is a sorceress who manipulates sound waves (Among other things) through her magic. So yes, in this case, it involves magic'n'stuff. Incidentally, when I looked this up to confirm it, I found several references to her scream being "ultrasonic," another hole in this case. But yeah. Magic.

I mean, if you're going to lecture others about this, at least know what you're talking about.
 

Wilco86

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Zachary Amaranth said:
Wilco86 said:
If someone is an inhuman humanoid that doesn't make it "magic'n'stuff". Many animals can hear and - more importantly - produce different wavelengths of sound that humans make without magic, etc. So if Sindel has some kind of inhuman physiology with vocal cords or something...
Sindel being who she is makes it 'magic'n'stuff,' though that wasn't exactly my point. However, since you went there, this is a sorceress who manipulates sound waves (Among other things) through her magic. So yes, in this case, it involves magic'n'stuff. Incidentally, when I looked this up to confirm it, I found several references to her scream being "ultrasonic," another hole in this case. But yeah. Magic.

I mean, if you're going to lecture others about this, at least know what you're talking about.
I don't actually care what some bio says, but if there could a being that can blow up people's heads with a scream. Is *that* plausible without magic. My first post was against "humans can't do that -> not plausible" where I replied that there's no reason to observe Sindel as one would a human.

But if that makes you happy, we can agree on magic.
 

Something Amyss

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Wilco86 said:
I don't actually care what some bio says, but if there could a being that can blow up people's heads with a scream. Is *that* plausible without magic. My first post was against "humans can't do that -> not plausible" where I replied that there's no reason to observe Sindel as one would a human.

But if that makes you happy, we can agree on magic.
You don't care about that thing you argued in the first place.

Okay then.

Moving on, there could be a being that could blow someone's heads up--in a magical or fantasy setting. The short answer is the necessary frequency and SPL are incompatible with a roughly humanoid form. So if that's what you're concerned with, no. But when you bring up the "not human" defense for a topic about real-world physics, you might as well toss the real world part out entirely, because magic.