Is it possible to punch throw a wooden casket after being buried?

Question

The protagonist in Kill Bill Vol 2 punches through a wooden casket, then pushes up through the dirt. Is it possible for the average karate expert to punch through an empty casket while inside? Same question, assuming one, two, three, four, five and six feet of loose dirt. I want a physics expert on this one! I mean, how much power is needed to do this?

Answer 1

No physics expert here either.

The depth of an average casket is about 12" (I looked it up) so I doubt even a karate expert could generate enough force, much less with dirt piled on top, distributing the force.

Answer 2

I'm not a physics expert but i dont think its possible.

All the pressure of the dirt is pressing down on the casket.

Plus once you punched the whole you would drown in the dirt, its impossible too dig yourself out i would presume, you would'nt have enough oxygen.

Answer 3

It depends on the casket. Many are much thicker than anything you've ever seen a karate expert punch through. A simple, thin, pine box might be possible though. The dirt though would add a considerable amount of weight to the casket and likely make it impossible. Even if the person could push against that much weight, the force of a punch would be distributed throughout the casket, not up into the dirt, meaning that in all but the most shallow of graves, it would be impossible.

Answer 4

More power than I have. Seems very unlikely.

Uh, you know "Kill Bill" is just a movie?

Answer 5

shut up

Answer 6

Depends on the type of wood used, the thickness of the dirt, the depth of the INSIDE of the casket, (since that would give you your swinging distance, and be a very important factor in the speed of the hit) and the strength of the person doing it.

It should be noted that the average person cannot throw a plank of wood on top of a pile of "loose" soil, and proceed to smash completely through it, even  with a shovel.

So it is doubtful that anyone could do this, laying on their back, digging...upwards, through wood, with their hands.

But, as with all relatively simple physics questions on YA, I'm sure the geniuses will chime in with meaningless formulas when common sense has already explained it.