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Re: [Phys-L] real-world physics

60mph is about the terminal velocity for someone spread eagled, but over 100
is for dropping vertically, so it depends. Deviations from constant
acceleration are noticeable when dropping an object from high up in a gym.
Cats survive falls better from greater heights rather than from
intermediated distances. This was found from veterinary records in big
cities. Relaxing and fluffing up is helpful. People have also survived
falls from airplanes without parachutes.

I wonder if the boxes were filled with bubble wrap. Since these are
professionals I suspect they first tried a dummy and that they know how to
calculate forces.

So testing an idea is not all that farfetched.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


Here's a guy dropping 150 feet onto what looks like about 15
ft of cardboard boxes. I'm estimating an impact speed of
something like 60 mph and an average acceleration of about 8
or 9 g as opposed to the ~110 mph and ~40 g to be expected
for someone falling from 1500 feet onto 10 feet of cushion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woH7C3cY_Es