if and elevator is in freefall and its at termanal velocity would u stick to the ceiling?

Question

yes or no

Answer 1

lol...haha finally someone else wondering about this. i actually had an idea about this and started asking around, though my original question was a little different. the answer is essentialy no, you should, in theory on paper anyway fall at the same rate as the floor.
what i was curious about was, "if you jump and right at the height of your jump the elevator drops will you spend the fall seeming to float in the air as perceived by everyone else?" the answer is more or less, given a perfect timed jump and such, yes you will.

another answer i got:
elevator repair man: (i went straight to the source first) "it won't happen there are safe guards to keep the elevator from dropping."
he did mention that there is, in very well made elevators very little wind resistance in the shaft.

also in case you are wondering, you can not jump at the last minute either to save yourself: from cecil at straightdope.com
"Sorry, kiddo. The only thing you can do if you get stuck in a falling elevator is tuck your head between your knees and kiss your **** good-bye. It's a simple matter of physics. Let's say, for purposes of illustration, that your falling elevator reaches a terminal velocity of 100 feet per second. Even if you manage a leap of Nureyevian proportions, you'll only reach a speed of maybe 5-10 feet per second. (For purposes of comparison, a sprinter doing 40 yards in five seconds is moving at 24 feet per second--horizontally, of course, and with room to work up a little velocity.) That leaves you with a net downward velocity of 90-95 feet per second. In short, Pancake City."

Answer 2

You will not stick the the ceiling. Why?

The terminal velocity is the maximum velocity at which something can fall. This is a result of the drag (resistance to forward motion) you encounter as you go through air. This means that once it reaches this velocity, the elevator will maintain this speed until it hits the floor.

You, however, are INSIDE the elevator. This means that your body is not rushing through air, itself. (The air inside the elevator certainly will not be moving relative to the elevator) This means that you will not experience the force you would experience if you were falling out of an elevator. Thus, your terminal velocity is limited by the terminal velocity of the elevator, since you do not experience any drag on your body.

This means that, once the elevator reaches terminal velocity, you will be standing on the floor since your body will be trying to accelerate while the elevator is not. This is all assuming the elevator has enough time to reach terminal velocity. This would take much more distance than any common elevator.

Answer 3

NO

But to be more accurate, it depends on the height of the inside of the elevator... If the elevator cabin is 10 feet tall, you'll float somewhere in the center. If, for some reason, the elevator cabin is a few inches taller than you, you'll definitely make contact with the ceiling during freefall.

Answer 4

Depends on how quickly the elevator accelerated. If the acceleration was very quick you'd be on the ceiling during the freefall period. If it was a gradual acceleration you'd remain on the floor or be some distance above it during the period of freefall.

Answer 5

YES...
in a freely falling body like an elevator....ur head hits the ceiling and cause death...thats why there's head injury...not like ur head hits the floor and u die...

Answer 6

Yes you would because weight of our body is less than that of the elevator.

Answer 7

Im gonna go with no, and I hope that I am never in that situation. I am terrified of elevators. Claustophobic. *Yikes*

Answer 8

No. you fall as fast. Gravity law

Answer 9

I think you would "stick" all over the place.

Answer 10

no but the impact from it hitting the ground will kill you