Freefalling

[Daysofthephoenix]

in an elevator. In order to save yourself, what do you do before you hit bottom? Assuming you don’t have enough time to join AA (that was a \"hitting bottom\" pun). Can you survive? Let’s assume 20 floors worth of falling – approximately 200 feet.

[Cool As Ice Cream]

try to enjoy the short moment of weightlessness?

i doubt i’d survive.

[jupiter]

noone would survive (they tested it on mythbusters).

[manillascissor]

but WHY would no one survive? couldn’t i time the jump right before impact and take the velocity of the downward elevator and negate it with my upward jump velocity? therefore, rendering me, in that moment, motionless?

[Cool As Ice Cream]

it’s probably very hard/impossible to jump when you’re floating in an elevator. and to time it correctly.

and i’m not even sure if that would save you. actually, i don’t think it will.
you’re falling as fast as the elevator. even if you manage to jump in the elevator while it’s falling, you’re netto speed will still be very fast towards the bottom. you can’t negate that with a jump. also, after your jump, your speed will have increased again with the same amount you decreased it by jumping in the first place. (what goes up must come down.)
impact will be delayed slightly, but that’s it, i think.

[Cool As Ice Cream]

the thing i would maybe try – but i don’t think it’ll save me – is pressing myself between two walls of the elevator. for example, my two hands on the left wall, and my two feet on the right wall, about a metre above the floor. it will be impossible to stay in that position on impact, but maybe it’ll help a little bit? probably not.

[manillascissor]

you are very close, bram, and it sucks that a person so smart provided input so quickly in the thread.

the answer to the question, is, you would not be able to jump in a truly freefalling situation. assuming there is no air friction, which of course, there would be, but, that is almost negligible.

either way, in a true freefall, you could not jump, by definition.

you’re a fucking pancake.

going up?

[Cool As Ice Cream]

i’m sorry i’m so smart. and modest.

[jupiter]

jumping is impossible…………….but i’d still try it in the situation!

[Arthur]

either way, in a true freefall, you could not jump, by definition.

you’re a fucking pancake.[/quote:uni1vqlr]
This is not absolute truth, by definition also. Since true freefall does not exist. Think about that one for a while…

I’m quite sure however that I will end up being a bloodcovered pancake (with no urge to fuck anything I’m quite sure also), but to present this as an absolute truth under all circumstances: no.

[Daysofthephoenix]

I would just start singing a nice Slayer song in hopes that Satan will come to rescue me by coming up from the depths of hell into my elevator. I may have sold my soul but I would be saved.

Honestly though, I would just accept I was going to die and sing a nice SP song as my last memory before I crash.

[Author]

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