# Can you kill with a punch to the chest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2005, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384 "2005-04-21T07:39:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/21 "2005-04-21T21:01:05Z")
If a softball traveling at 40mph can kill, then a punch should be able to kill at a significantly lower speed, because it’s not the _velocity_ that matters, it’s the _momentum_. A 20mph punch with George Foreman’s weight behind it (accelerating even as it strikes) carries more momentum than a softball traveling twice that fast, even if you only factor in the weight of Foreman’s hand, glove, and arm. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/22 "2005-04-21T21:05:47Z")
Amusingly, I just noticed that the name of this thread is abbreviated in my browser’s title tab as “Can you kill with a pun…” I’ve heard some bad ones, but not _that_ bad! ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/23 "2005-04-21T23:18:23Z")
Death by listening to bad puns? Ah. Audio-da-fe. ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/24 "2005-04-22T00:15:37Z")
_Clutches Chest_ Hrrrk… akkk… gglrrk… _dies_ ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/25 "2005-04-22T04:01:58Z")
Nice try. You _read_ that pun, you didn’t _hear_ it. Now, death from reading bad puns is read-icide. Now king me. ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/26 "2005-04-22T13:34:05Z")
Whatever, I’m dead now, yall. (Should have used anti-pungal cream…) ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/27 "2005-04-22T15:54:26Z")
We should sentence prisoners to die by reading this thread. Capital punnishment… ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/28 "2005-04-22T16:10:42Z")
Ugh. I’m mortified. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/29 "2005-04-22T17:06:25Z")
For punching speed, I would think above 40 mph is possible, though maybe not with a conventional and useful punching motion. After all, a top baseball pitcher can get his hand going almost 100 mph. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384/30 "2005-04-22T22:13:47Z")
What about the 5 point palm exploding heart technique? 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-kill-with-a-punch-to-the-chest/300384.md?page=1)