Superhuman Strength levels

I started this topic here instead of continuing the thread started by HIS in the Request/Suggestions forum because that was more fo a philosophical discussion about strength levels, IMO. And it looked like the thread had pretty much ended.

What this is, is a list of (relatively) common objects and some landmarks in comics and 'ubergirl' stories and their estimated weights. I answered a few questions about parts 2 & 3 of Ascension that delt with the 'strength' level subject and thought that this list might be helpful for other writers. All weights come from the 'Ultimate Brick' sourcebook for the Champions RPG by Hero Games. I know how much research these guys do, so I'm confident in the measurements and use them in my own writings. All measurements are in kilograms (2.2 pounds to the kg for us backwards Americans ).

From low to high:

Civilian Helicopter: 700kg
Liberty Bell: 933kg
Average Telephone Pole: 1867kg
Limousine: 3200kg
Business Jet: 9600kg
Subway Car: 12.5 tons (12,500 kg)
Small ICBM: 33 tons
Easter Island Stone head: 50 tons
Concorrde jet: 75 tons
Stonehenge Stone: 88 tons
Washington Monument: 88 tons
Space Shuttle (no boosters): 100 tons
Blue Whale: 100 tons
Large ICBM: 200 tons
Statue of Liberty: 200 tons
California Redwood tree: 500 tons
Space Shuttle (with boosters): 2,000 tons
Eiffle Tower: 7.5 ktons (7500 tons)
Samll submarine: 9.5 ktons
Small cruise ship: 11 ktons
Saint Louis Gateway Arch: 50 ktons
Loaded Aircraft carier: 100 ktons
Empire State Building: 400 ktons
Golden Gate Bridge: 800 ktons
Great Pyramid of Giza: 6.4 mtons (6,400,000 tons)
'Average' small asteroid: 25 gtons (25,000,000,000 tons)
Estimated mass of Earth: 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons (good luck)

Cool!

I'm sure Caroline wouldn't have much trouble with the mass of earth, right Paul?! Hehe.

I once did up an Excel spreadsheet on this sort of thing that ran up the old Champions exponential strength scale. Two things I noticed: people aren't really designed for that kind of heavy lifting, and everything looks casual on a log-log scale with a fat Crayola marker.

I was particularly interested at the time of taking exponentials of Kryptonian-level strengths and the Champions scale was well suited for the math. It took around the fifth or so to really be able to do much basketball with the Earth. Galactically thinking winds you up at eleventh, "realistically" figuring.

Back and grounded I personally never get over standing within feet of a running locomotive engine, one of those big desiel-electrics, especially at the local station under an overpass where it really reverberates through your bones. Or leaving the controll room door open at an engine test facility, a big General Electric airliner high-bypass 'fatboy' spinning up on the stand...or those REALLY close up shots of a heavy-lift rocket lighting up, so crisp you can see the ice shattering off to the shock kicking off the water jets...

Raw power.

Not just the mechanical kind--the kind that reaches beyond physics into human emotion and awe.

Really hard to put that kinda tear-jerking gut-wrenching on paper with words or numbers. It'd be cool if you could though, especially in this genre.



Wuv,
-White Paw