2007-03-09 23:31:05 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
According to the laws of Physics the answer is yes, but you would have to exactly counteract the speed of the falling object, or slightly increase the opposing speed at exactly the right time.
Mythbusters is for entertainment purposes only! They stage their experiments to be entertaining more than scientific.
2007-03-09 23:59:26 · answer #1 · answered by Steve T. 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some of the answers you have received sound good, even the ones that contradict each other. The pilot in the ejector seat pulls a parachute, so that's not a fair example, though.
First, ask yourself what kills you. It's not the speed, it's the sudden deceleration when you stop. (We are ignoring dumb stuff like landing on a pointed pole or drowning in the ocean.)
Let's think of being in a falling elevator (with no air resistance). It's tempting to think "If I jump up with the same speed as the elevator has when it hits, then I'll be going zero with respect to the ground." Sounds good, doesn't it?
But think about what actually happened. To jump up, you push down on the floor and it pushes back. So the floor pushed you up. The change in speed of your upward jump was the same when initiated by your legs as it would have been when the floor of the elevator hit the ground!
Or think of this. You are freely falling. (Again, no air resistance.) You flip a coin upward, with enough speed so that it actually rises as seen by someone in a helicopter watching you fall. The coin arcs up and comes back down. When it reaches the height where you flipped it (you're way below that, now) it has the same velocity down as it had before you flipped it. So what good did "jumping off" do the coin? Nothing!
2007-03-10 08:33:35 · answer #2 · answered by Rob S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. You and the object are falling a certain amount of feet per second. Your velocity heading toward the ground will not change if you jump off of the object (unless of course you have a parachute or another device like an imflatable balloon).
2007-03-10 07:38:06 · answer #3 · answered by Pantera Rosa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not really because you are travelling at the same velocity as the object and even if you manage to jump off the object you will still be under the influence of gravity and still hit the ground. HARD. in any case, im assuming that if you can jump off the object, it is probably bigger and heavier than you and so is falling faster than you and thus you wount even get the chance to jump off! :)
2007-03-10 07:38:33 · answer #4 · answered by morgan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
due to inertia of moving object we will collide with the ground and the chances of survival depends
2007-03-10 07:36:39 · answer #5 · answered by ritesh s 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer to your question is yes. As an example think of the ejecter seats of fighter aircrafts.
2007-03-10 07:36:09 · answer #6 · answered by physicist 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Watch Mythbusters.
2007-03-10 07:34:31 · answer #7 · answered by Cybeq 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. mythbusters tested this in a falling elevator.
2007-03-10 07:47:02 · answer #8 · answered by Morgz* 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES. MAY WITH MINOR INJURIES
2007-03-10 07:53:42 · answer #9 · answered by RAMU 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well....TRY IT!
2007-03-10 07:39:12 · answer #10 · answered by rockinweazel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋