If a normal human body was to fall (from a flying plane at an altitude of 32,000 feet for example), and the body is allowed to just fall through the Earth's atmosphere in a free fall, when it actually hits the ground, is there any chance that the body might actually bounce back up (like a few feet) and then hit the ground again?
Intuitively (my opinion) is that the body won't bounce, becuase human body is just too soft. It will simply be an inelastic collision. The human body will just be squished flat onto the ground.
What do you say?
For those of you who have seen Crank, know what I am talking about!
2006-09-10 15:21:33 · 10 answers · asked by The Prince 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Not a few feet but there will be some bounce back.
2006-09-10 15:28:36 · answer #1 · answered by Screwball 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There was a woman who's chute didn't open she fell 5000 ft hit the ground and bounced thirty feet back into the air she lived. Back in the seventies I saw a man jump from a plane his chute didn't open he bounced about fifteen foot in the air. Even though our bodies are mostly water, the ground is soft in places and can act like a spring. At 32000 ft you will most like disappear into the earth, but if ground conditions are right you could get a great bounce
2006-09-10 17:30:35 · answer #2 · answered by David 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
10
2016-03-27 06:18:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's September 11. Go ask people who witnessed about 100 people who jumped from the upper storeys of WTC rather than burn to death.
They would have hit the ground at the same speed from 1200 feet as a body would from 32000 feet, as terminal velocity is reached before then.
I know that the first bodies hitting the concrete around the WTC made enough of a crash to make the firemen at first think that they were explosions.
Note also that people were killed by bodies falling on them.
2006-09-10 17:03:25 · answer #4 · answered by nick s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pretty sure the body would bounce actually, depending on what it hits on impact.
for instance, jumping off a sky scraper, hitting concrete. All that kinetic energy has to go somewhere, the body wont just "stop", either it bounces, or goes splat.
there is probably some sort of "faces of death" video that would confirm this, or you could just go buy a 3lb pot roast from the market, and drop it off the top of a building and see the result. (recomend concrete as the target surface)
2006-09-10 15:35:10 · answer #5 · answered by Jason S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the coefficient of restitution of what ever you hit...
Imagine the lucky shot of hitting a inflated dome building... No matter how high you fall you only reach terminal velocity (around 120 mph) so it is entirely possible to bounce... might be a just a sack of squished guts but a bouncing sack of squished guts...
2006-09-10 15:29:11 · answer #6 · answered by Steve D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont think the human body would actually bounce back the way u dont expect an eggpie to bounce back if it fall on the floor
2006-09-10 16:46:55 · answer #7 · answered by The Lioness 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No---I think that the human body being 75 % water--would explode like a water balloon! Hope never to find out in person!
2006-09-10 15:28:12 · answer #8 · answered by f4fanactic 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It will bounce by a small amount.
2006-09-10 15:35:49 · answer #9 · answered by Dr M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe it will just spatter to pieces, no bounce.
2006-09-10 15:27:44 · answer #10 · answered by J P 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋