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Natural Science Forum / Physics / General Physics / July 2008Tom Sawyer and Physics
I happened upon an old movie, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and noted a scene where the good citizen of Hannibal were drag'n the river for Tom and Huck. They had gone missing for more than 24 hours, and were last seen heading for the river. Although they had a river accident, they were safe. The drag'n method was interesting, and not what I expected. Tom and Huck watched from an island shore as a boat drifted by firing a cannon every once in awhile. Tom explained that would cause bodies to rise from the water. If so, what's the physics behind it? > I happened upon an old movie, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and noted a scene > where the good citizen of Hannibal were drag'n the river for Tom and Huck. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Tom explained that would cause bodies to rise from the water. If so, what's > the physics behind it? The underlying premise is that once the bodys have sufficiently decomposed they will float. The firing of the cannons is a long obsoleted practice intended to dislodge the corpse from underwater entrapments. I was raised on the banks of the Delaware River, and every summer a few people drowned. As a kid, it was a sport to watch the rescue crews try to find the bodies using grapling hooks to drag the river for the body, The use of cannons in recovery efforts has been obsolete for over 100 years and regarded as producing poor results even when it was used. Something worth noting, it you ever see a a grapling hook, you realize immediately that it is not a rescue device! Their enitire purpose is for the capture and recovery of corpses in various states of decomposition. Harry C, >> I happened upon an old movie, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and noted a scene >> where the good citizen of Hannibal were drag'n the river for Tom and Huck. [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Harry C, Yes, it surely seems gone from the scene, and replaced by modern means. Maybe this is fodder for Myth Busters! > I happened upon an old movie, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and noted a scene > where the good citizen of Hannibal were drag'n the river for Tom and Huck. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Tom explained that would cause bodies to rise from the water. If so, what's > the physics behind it? Experiment: Put some things with specific gravity just barely above 1 in a filled bathtub. Put your hand vertically in the water with your fingertips a couple inches above the bottom. With your other hand, slap your forearm to simulate the recoil from a cannon firing. Watch what happens to the things resting on the bottom of the tub. PD >> I happened upon an old movie, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and noted a scene >> where the good citizen of Hannibal were drag'n the river for Tom and Huck. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > PD Interesting, but, nevertheless, I can see, as the poster above stated, the whole idea became obsolete. > >> I happened upon an old movie, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and noted a scene > >> where the good citizen of Hannibal were drag'n the river for Tom and Huck. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Interesting, but, nevertheless, I can see, as the poster above stated, the > whole idea became obsolete. Not to mention that people these days get a bit twitchy when someone goes around firing off a cannon...  SignatureJim Pennino Remove .spam.sux to reply. > Not to mention that people these days get a bit twitchy when someone > goes around firing off a cannon... Seems to me that people these days get a bit twitchy over just about anything at all. Bob Signature"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein > > I happened upon an old movie, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and noted a scene > > where the good citizen of Hannibal were drag'n the river for Tom and Huck. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > forearm to simulate the recoil from a cannon firing. Watch what > happens to the things resting on the bottom of the tub. That is a stupid idea. I am the only poster to this newsgroup that ever gets near a bathtub. Just at the moment my clawfoot is hauling a Seth Thomas Regulator to Pluto and back to test your silly supernatural notions. I suggest digging up Einstein and Feynman, put em in a real river, shoot a real cannon and see who surfaces first. We can kill (pardon pun) several birds at once that way. Sue... > PD |
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