What would happen if everyone in the world jumped at the same time?

Question

And would it measure on the richter scale? If so how high?

Answer 1

In the 1970s China did an experiment - they got everybody in the country to jump up at the same time. The shock wave was detected by instruments all over the world, although humans could not notice it. I think it was 2 or 3 on the Richter scale.. Bear in mind that about 20% of the world's population lives in China.
It would be difficult to get many other countries to do this as in china the government had (and still has) a great deal of power - effectively a dictatorship. But if everybody did do it, presumably the shock wave would be 5 times greater. That's not 10 on the Richter scale by the way, it's still only about 4 (each point on that scale is 10 times more powerful than the previous one).
Re the previous answer stating that nothing would happen as people are scattered all over the world - there would still be a shockwave, as the people in the UK are not counteracting the people in Australia - the shockwave travels around the tectonic plates on the Earth's surface.

Answer 2

This would lead to a chain reaction.

Firstly as soon as everyone had 'lifted off', the pressure on the Earth's crust would be reduced by approximately 450 million tonnes.

This would cause a rise in the surface of approximately 2.76943 microns.

This rise would result in a tiny, but well defined, global tsunami of 1.3947 microns average height.

This tsunami would pass unnoticed everywhere............except in a tiny atoll Micronesia, where a completely new life-form was just emerging from the waters, and trying to establish a foothold on land.

This microscopic life-form would, all but for the tsunami, have rapidly mutated into the deadliest virus the world has ever known, and, if not for the tsunami, have been responsible for the extinguishing of all known life on Earth within five years.

However, thanks to the Global Jump (tm), the tsunami washes the little blighter back into the sea, and it mutates instead into another type of virus, that causes all the shark populations of the world's teeth to fall out.

The sharks, not being entirely devoid of brain cells, decide that a rapid adaptation is called for, and start making like the dolphins, all cuddly and cute, and even start making squeaky 'Flipper' noises, and everybody forgives them for 'Jaws' (tm).

Peter Benchley sues the instigators of the Global Jump (tm) for 10 billion dollars, his estimated future loss of income from 'Jaws' (tm) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 books, movies, tee-shirts, coffee mugs, kneecap protectors, jockstrap liners, and other assorted items of merchandising.

Oh, the Richter scale thing..........about 1.30729 microwobbles

Answer 3

Because not all people jump the same, it would have no effect (the 1000 people on a field theory). Every person would literally land at a completely different time. Maybe 5 people would land at the exact same time, causing nothing. If you wanted to test that theory, 1000 people weigh maybe 180k pounds. Maybe get something that heavy ( I know lol), but then drop it. That would have a small impact but nothing richtor-scale worthy.

Answer 4

well why don't they host something to find out what it would be like on a small scale like get about 1000 people to go on a field and jump at the same time and if that does something just think of what would happen


but it would probably do nothing be hey you never know

Answer 5

The world is so large compared to all of the people that live on it, nothing would come up if everyone jumped at the same time. The mass of the planet is exponentially greater than all of the inhabitants, so it really wouldn't matter.

Answer 6

Nothing. We're scattered all over the earth and the pressure inward would be the same. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Answer 7

Apart from the fact that this question has been asked before.

I understood the answer was NOTHING

Thinking about it, I doubt if it could be instigated accurately enough anyway, can you just imagine???

Answer 8

It would have the same effect that all of us breathing at the same time has: Exactly nothing.

Answer 9

The people downstairs would bang on their ceiling

Answer 10

A big earthquake :]