[Phys-l] Energy Transfer with hammers

[chuck britton <britton@ncssm.edu>]

http://www.finehomebuilding.com//item/8391/titanium-hammers-up-for- 
grabs-want-one
has an interesting 'claim' about energy transfer.

"My reason for going with titanium: energy. A titanium hammer  
transfers 97% of your energy from swinging the hammer to the nail  
head, while a steel hammer transfers only 70% of your energy to the  
nail. Titanium drives a nail more efficiently and there’s less recoil  
energy to travel back into your arm."

This seems to BEG for some simple 'Mechanics' analysis.
Maybe 'Impedance matching'?	admittedly - NOT a topic usually covered  
in intro mechanics but maybe it SHOULD be?