Barstool Sports recently released security footage of an employee throwing a High Noon can. Dave Portnoy claimed the throw could have killed someone. Similar sentiments were found from viewers on Twitter and Reddit.
I'm all about data, and by releasing the security footage Barstool has given us the tools we need to figure out how fast the High Noon can was thrown. Let's figure out how fast that can was moving and find the baseball equivalent speed.
The Security Footage
The security footage opens up with a shot of the open office crime scene. We see the victim sitting at his desk. I'd estimate that the distance from the edge of the desk is 5 feet. I think if PFT laid down he could touch both the wall and the edge of the desk.
Now, we can skip forward to the 0:10.98 mark. The can comes buzzing in. Stop the video at this point. How long does it take for the can to hit the wall?
The key unit of measurement here is video frames, not seconds on the video timestamp. Using video timestamps would be a rookie mistake because it's not a high speed camera capable of measuring in the milliseconds. I estimate the security footage is from a 60 frames per second camera.
From this point in the video, we can count the number of frames it takes for the can to hit the wall. I count it taking 4 frames.
Let's summarize what we know.
| Evidence | Value |
|---|---|
| Distance from Desk to Wall | 5 ft |
| Frames per Second | 60 |
| Frames to Hit Wall | 4 |
The Math
With just those three values we can calculate everything to get miles per hour of the High Noon can.
Given 60 frames per second and 4 frames to hit the wall, we know that the incident took place over .067 seconds.
| Time to Hit Wall (seconds) | Seconds per Frame * Frames to Hit Wall |
|---|---|
| .067 | (60)^-1 * 4 |
If it took .067 seconds to move 5 feet, we know the can was moving at 60 ft/s.
| Speed (ft/s) | Distance (ft) / Time to Hit Wall (s) |
|---|---|
| 60 | 5 / .067 |
We can then convert 60 ft/s to miles per hour. I'll save you that math. 60 ft/s = 41 miles per hour.
The can was moving at 41 miles per hour. I don't really know what it would feel like to get hit by a can moving at 41 miles per hour. Let's convert it to a baseball and see how much that would hurt.
The Physics
The damage the High Can (or a baseball) would do is a function of its mass and its speed.
| Object | Mass |
|---|---|
| Baseball | 5.25oz |
| High Noon Can | 12oz |
Using the law of physics, we can find the baseball equivalent speed of a 12oz High Noon can thrown at 41 mph.
Mass of Baseball * Speed of Baseball = Mass of High Noon * Can Speed
5.25oz * Speed of Baseball = 12oz * 41mph
Speed of Baseball = (12oz * 41mph) / 5.25oz
Speed of Basbeall = 94 mphBeing hit with that High Noon can would be the equivalent of getting pegged by a 94 mph baseball.
The Damage
Kevin Pillar on the Mets took a 94 mph baseball to the face. He ended up requiring plastic surgery!
Closing
Data is everywhere. Data + math lets us discover things like how Big T almost became the next Kevin Pillar, the source of a business's best customers, how long a Shopify store might last, etc.
Think you my assumptions are incorrect? Feel free to copy this Excel sheet and play around on your own.
If you enjoy the intersection of shitposting and tech, consider dropping a follow on Twitter.