In this blog post, we analyze a daydream of Homer Simpson, specifically the one in "Dog of Death."
Part 0: Synopsis
Context: Homer Simpson is daydreaming about what he would do if he had $130,000,000.
The daydream starts when Homer Simpson walks to Lenny, who wonders if Homer Simpson got a haircut or something. Homer Simpson tells him to look closer. Lenny says that Homer Simpson is the biggest man in the world now and is covered in gold. Homer Simpson says he is actually covered in 14-karat gold.
Homer Simpson proceeds to tell Mr. Burns to take a hike, for Homer Simpson is running things now. Mr. Burns then hails King Homer (and hereafter we will refer to him as such).
The daydream ends when King Homer triumphantly laughs.
Part 1: Assumptions
We will assume the following assumptions in this blog post:
- The time when this episode takes place is the original air date.
- The price and mass of alloy is zero.
- King Homer is made entirely out of 14-karat gold.
- By the time the daydream ends, King Homer would have spent his money entirely.
Part 2: How much would King Homer weigh?
At the time in which the episode is set, 24-karat gold is priced at 347.6 US dollars per troy ounce. Using the assumptions, we can similarly argue that 14-karat gold is priced at 202.77 US dollars per troy ounce. Dividing the money by the 14-karat gold price gives us 641,130 troy ounces. To put it in metric-friendly (or imperial-friendly) units, this means King Homer would weigh 19,941 kilograms or 43,963 pounds.
Part 3: Would King Homer really be the tallest person in the world?
Not in cube or sphere form. King Homer, if he were a cube of gold, would only have a height of 1.01 meters. If he were a sphere of gold, he would have a height of 1.254 meters. The tallest person in the world is Robert Wadlow, at approximately 2.72 meters. Homer Simpson would need to be a cuboid with a base area of less than 0.379 square meters if he wants to claim the title of "the tallest person of the world".
Part 4: What if King Homer was sold to a person?
As of the publishing of this blog post, if a person wants to buy King Homer, he or she will have to spend $1.13 billion.
Part 5: How much energy would it take to destroy King Homer?
Assuming by destruction via melting and turning into liquid, it would take approximately 3.94×109 joules to do this.
Part 6: How many atoms are in King Homer?
6.082×1028 atoms.
Part 7: What is implied to happen to King Homer as the daydream progresses?
In the daydream, we can see King Homer getting taller. In the beginning, he is given the title as the tallest man in the world. In the end, he is seen being taller than mid-rise buildings and wider than a road. The only logical explanation is King Homer, in between scenes, gradually loses the purity of his gold and gains alloyed metals in his material composition. This is experimentally verified as King Homer wears jewelry that is not composed of gold.