You are in a falling elevator. Can you save yourself at the last second by jumping?

Question

I heard this question on Brainiac and i want to know if it is possible

Answer 1

"Mythbusters" answered this. The short answer is no.

Even if you time it right and jump up at the exact moment before the elevator hits (very unlikely), you will still be falling down. All that you did by jumping up is to slow down your rate of fall somewhat -- you didn't stop yourself. Besides, the elevator is crushed like an empty beer can when it hits, so the roof of the elevator car will push you down into the floor and squash you like a bug.

Answer 2

No, you can't. Consider the speed at which you jump vertically. Sparing the physics and math for the moment, it would be a very liberal estimate to say that someone can jump upwards at a speed of 5 m/s. By contrast, an elevator that falls from a height of only 10 meters, will be at a speed of roughly 15 m/s by the time it hits the ground.

Even with the velocity of your jump acting against the downward pull of gravity, you're still falling at a rate of 10 m/s by the time you hit the ground.

The numbers given here are only approximated (probably not very well, either), but to illustrate the basic point that you can't possibly jump hard enough or fast enough to counteract your much faster downward motion.

Answer 3

Yes and no!

Consider this, you'd need to be able to jump so that your terminal velocity in the air is equal but opposite to the speed the elevator is falling, so that overall your velocity would be 0ms.

However, when you jump you push the elevator with the force as well, so you'd need to overcompensate, and it would become exponentionaly harder with greater height fallen and lower mass of the elevator.

Assuming no change of any velocity when you jump ( arbitery numbers):
lift falls at -70ms
you jump at 70 ms

-70ms + 70ms = 0ms, congrats, you have no vertical velocity, have fun dodging all the other problems that happen when a large metal cage smashes into the ground with you inside.

Answer 4

Where would you jump to? Usually an elevator is enclosed with no way out and the speed an elevator would fall at would mean that you are more likely to be pinned to the roof of it unable to move due to the G force.
i would think even if you are in a very tall building that the fall would be over in seconds and you wouldn't even have time to think about how to escape let alone trying to.

Answer 5

No, jumping will not save you, you are still falling at the same rate...and will hit with the same amount of force.

The best option you have actually is to lie down on the floor of the elevator which will allow your body to absorb the impact more evenly, and therefore minimize injury and possibly save your life.

The best way to survive such a crash however, is to take the most healthy option available... The stairs.

Answer 6

No! Momentum makes you take the speed of the object, place in wich you are! It's like jumping from a train or planes droping bombs: for a while the keep the same speed!
Anyay you would bu crushed by the top of the lift falling down on you because of the sudden stop!

Answer 7

Don't think you need to worry as elevators are fail safe and don't fall catastrophically. Didn't Otis put on a demonstration of this using himself as a guinea pig?

Answer 8

No. Not at all. You can jump but when the lift smashes into the bottom and stops you carry on going and smash into the bottom of the lift. Tough luck

Answer 9

If you jump up, wont the elevator slam you in the top of your head?

Answer 10

well if u are in the elevator when do know where the bottum of the lift is as u cant see it the only way ud know it was near the bottum is when it crashed.