Surviving an elevator accident

KowCiller · #1 02-23-2005, 04:54 PM

Sorry if this question sucks or is uninteresting but I had a thought while taking the elevator to the vending machine.

Lets say the cables in the elevator broke and whatever safety mechanism that was in place to stop the elevator malfunctioned. The elevator is plummeting to the bottom floor. Lets say as the elevator is in it's descent, you could see the floor numbers counting down.

The question is, with perfect timing, would you be able to jump inside the elevator the instant before it hit the bottom and survive the crash?

Is this possible? Why or why not? (or "who cares?")

Nick B. · #2 02-23-2005, 04:54 PM

no. they tested this on myth busters.

KowCiller · #3 02-23-2005, 04:56 PM

Dang, I have not seen that episode. Thanks.

Sponger15SB · #4 02-23-2005, 05:05 PM

[ QUOTE ]
no. they tested this on myth busters.

[/ QUOTE ]

amazing that people actually could believe this to be true that they actually had to test it on a TV show.

jakethebake · #5 02-23-2005, 04:55 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry if this question sucks or is uninteresting but I had a thought while taking the elevator to the vending machine.

Lets say the cables in the elevator broke and whatever safety mechanism that was in place to stop the elevator malfunctioned. The elevator is plummeting to the bottom floor. Lets say as the elevator is in it's descent, you could see the floor numbers counting down.

The question is, with perfect timing, would you be able to jump inside the elevator the instant before it hit the bottom and survive the crash?

Is this possible? Why or why not? (or "who cares?")

[/ QUOTE ]
I'd like to see Lindsay Lohan try it.

willie · #6 02-23-2005, 04:57 PM

was this question even serious?

your body is going down as fast as the elevator, so you're final stop would be as brutal as the elevator, jumping or not.

jakethebake · #7 02-23-2005, 04:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
was this question even serious?

your body is going down as fast as the elevator, so you're final stop would be as brutal as the elevator, jumping or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

Somehow I think that if any of us ended up in an elevator that was falling we'd try it regardless of whether it's a myth or not. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

willie · #8 02-23-2005, 05:01 PM

i'd be too busy dropping a 40story deuce in my pants and screaming to jump

KowCiller · #9 02-23-2005, 05:23 PM

[ QUOTE ]
was this question even serious?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll admit it was semi serious. Obviously I didn't honestly think a person could survive by doing it, but I wasn't sure the precise reason why...I've never taken a physics class or anything, so I wanted to know why it wasn't possible.

KoW

PhatTBoll · #10 02-23-2005, 04:58 PM

force = mass * acceleration.

The small amount of force you generate by jumping off the elevator floor is nowhere near enough to counteract the speed with which you have been hurling to the ground.