If an elevator was crashing down toward the ground?

Question

could i survive by jumping up as high as i could just before the elevator hit the ground

Answer 1

No
This was done on Myth Busters

When you jump, you can jump only 15 MPH at best.

You are falling at 70 - 120 MPH +

So even when you jump, you are still traveling downward fast enough for the injuries to be fatal.

Answer 2

Yes, because the elevator would have two possibilities:
Point 1 - You Jump and hit your head on the elevator roof knocking you unconscious and falling with the elevator.
Point 2 - You jump up out of the whole of the elevator the elevator speeds down away and gravity pulls you to your death breaking every bone in your body on the elevator remains.

Answer 3

let the elevator fall from a height of 50m. with you inside it will fall in about 3.16 second. the velocity downward will be 31.6m/s taking g to be 10m/s^2. Now say that you begin jumping by bending your legs 1 sec before it hits the ground. as you straighten out your leg you are accelerating with a imagining the elevator to be stationary. you want your upward velocity to be 31.6m/s in the opposite direction in 1sec. so v=at or a = 31.6m/s.
To survive you would have to jump up with a force of 70*31.6 N assuming your weight is 70kg for your final velocity to be 0 when you land. off course the elevator will have to be of a material which breaks instantly on impact or on second thought maybe not.

Answer 4

depends on how hight it fell from
it is going at 9.8 meters per second

so if it fell for two seconds, its now going 18.6,
three=28.4 meters per second and so on

so,
you would have to jump at a speed faster than it was falling.

and then, you run the risk of jumping into the ceiling, and breaking your neck.

plus. even if you could manage that,
you'd have to know that exact second it was gonna hit too.

so, all in all, I'd say your chances are pretty slim

but not to worry, the cables that hold up elevators are on a system that when there is no tension on the line, spike into the walls to stop you from falling.

( clasp you hands, with your elbows touching
imagine the string is ties to you hands,
the wegiht of the elevator keeps your elbows in
when the line is cut,
your elbows jut out, and its stops the elevator pretty quick,

Answer 5

Depends on how fast it was going. Most elevators have shock absorbing dampers at the bottom anyway, although these wouldn't really do much if it fell from a great height. The likelyhood of this happening is very very small. They all have safety breaks should the main tow line get cut.

Answer 6

Quite simply, no. You're still falling at the same speed as the elevator. And the elevator would probably compact as it hit the ground, crushing you inside it.

Answer 7

Go to youtube and look up "mythbusters" and "elevator"
They did this in Series 2 and Buster got damaged big time.
The elevator crashed and Busted went with it

Answer 8

No, next time you get on an elevator, suck helium into the recesses of your skull, then float and hover inside the elevator so you'll never be harmed.

Answer 9

No.

Although you could marginally reduce your downward velocity it would not be anywhere near enough to stop the fall killing you.

Plus you'd still be trapped in the elevator which would be falling down and would crush you.

Answer 10

No, if you had an impact speed of say 80 mph, you'd have to jump using that same force, which is impossible.
If it was possible you would launch yourself into the roof at 80mph breaking your neck.