Can two or more Coinshots "join forces"?

[kroen]

Say there is an object that weighs like two people. What happens if two Coinshots Push on in at the same time? Will they both be moved backwards, or will their combined Push move the object forward?

Edited April 26, 2013 by kroen

[Lady_Yasha she/her]

Say one starts Pushing on it first, they apply a force to the object that pushes them backwards, and also the object moves forwards a little. Now the second Allomancer Pushes, he too is flung backwards if the object is heavy enough, but he adds his mass to the movement of the object and the first Allomancer should decelerate.

 

This method is similar to how tension works in that if you hang a weight off one string all the force of holding the weight is applied to that single string. But if you attach two strings an equal angle apart from the fulcrum or perpendicular line of motion, then the force on one string is halved.

 

With momentum, if a heavy object is pushing back it's transferring its momentum to you, causing you to accelerate to a constant velocity (ignoring friction). Adding another person decreases the force on you and the momentum transferred from the object is decreased (not the total momentum, just that acting on you), as the other person shares the burden with you.

 

Voidus or some other physics nerd can explain it better.

 

EDIT: The object will move forward only if the combined momentum of the two Allomancers exceeds that of the object's.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Lyrebon

[Voidus]

What Lyre said basically, so short answer yes, their pushes would stack, I think we actually see this with Vin and Elend in HoA with the door they're Pulling on.

[happyman he/him]

In the real world, forces of all kinds not only stack, but stack linearly.  I see no reason why allomantic forces would be different, especially since we have a canonical example of exactly that.

[Morsk he/him]

One of The Lord Ruler's plaques even said you can have multiple weak Soothers push on Koloss together. If it works there, it would definitely work with Coinshots.

[king of nowhere]

coinshots just exert force vectors to metallic opbjects. force vectors are summed/compounded/whatever is the proper english term for operations with vectors.

[PhilV he/him]

coinshots just exert force vectors to metallic opbjects. force vectors are summed/compounded/whatever is the proper english term for operations with vectors.

 

That makes me think of a pool/billiards type of game, using metal balls. I should add that to the "Magic Games" thread.