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November 13, 2009

Strange But True!

Q. Few people survive falls from very great heights. When they do, what may be the physics at work?

A. The victims reach a “terminal speed,” where air drag offsets acceleration and falling speed maxes out, at maybe 100-200 miles per hour, says Jearl Walker in “The Flying Circus of Physics.” The other critical factor is how they land. A “hard” collision may last for only 0.001 to 0.01 second, with the force certain to be lethal. But for a “softer” collision (taking longer to stop), survival becomes possible:


 
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