Yes he could. F=M*A In this case we need to generate sufficient force to bend a beam, which we can agree is large but finite. Mass of the bionic man is constant. Therefore in order to produce a large enough force, we must produce a large enough acceleration. Assuming the bionic motors can accelerate his arms quickly enough, it's certainly possible. The only other consideration is the amount of energy required to bend the beam to your desired shape. It may take several "jerks" downward by the bionic man to bend/break the bar sufficiently. Additionally, you have the problem of the bionic man throwing himself upward with incredible acceleration. Hopefully this is below what is required to reach escape velocity and he remains on earth to continue the job. God I'm a dork. And before you ask, yes I do have an academic background in structural analysis.
After the first such superhuman jerk, the bionic arm would be torn at, and with, the bone from his natural anatomy. (I hate when that happens.)
Should be easy to figure out in the gym. Using the pulldown bar, try a weight in excess of your body weight and try and pull down, making sure that your legs aren't held down. I would try, but I am pretty sure I couldn't pull my body weight, even if my legs are held down.
I think that is beside the point in this thread. I think the fellow who started this thread is referring to the speed you would need to create (velocity, momentum or some such) with the weight available in order to create a force sufficiently in excess of that weight in order to bend the bar. Of course, there are variables that need to be addressed, such as the strength of the bar, etc., but I am fairly out of my depth here.
TY, that's kinda the explanation I was looking for. However, if he was able to create the required velocity shouldn't the possibility of his body being jerked up as opposed to the bar bending be taken into consideration?
think of a hammer. if you lay it on the bar it will do nothing. but hit the bar with enough force and it will bend it.
Yes, as both will happen. In order for the bar to bend, his body must be jerked up. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If the bionic man is applying a force sufficient to bend the beam, this means that an equal reaction force is pushing the bionic man upward. One cannot happen without the other. The confusing part in this scenario is that the force created by the bionic man may only be in action for a fraction of a second. This is long enough to bend the beam due to a transfer of energy, but not sufficiently long to allow the (albeit high) acceleration to translate into sufficient measurable velocity.