If an object is dropped out of an airplane at 50,000ft, what is the speed when it hits the ground?

Answer 1

It depends on the terminal velocity of the object. This is the speed at which the air resistance is equal to the weight of the object.

An average skydiver has a terminal velocity of around 120 MPH. If the skydiver were to tuck into a "dive" position, they can reduce the air resistance and their terminal velocity will increase to around 180 MPH.

I remember an old physics class film where they put a watermelon in a wind tunnel and computed at what airspeed the drag on the watermelon equaled the weight of the melon. They even attached metal fins to the back of the melon. Afterwards they took it out to the desert and dropped it from a plane.

Mythbusters used this same concept to compute the top speed of a penny dropped off the Empire State Building and a few other items in free fall. I think most of their objects generally reached their terminal velocity in the first 400 feet or so.

Is it possible that this is a trick question? Perhaps an airplane (propeller driven) can not fly at an altitude of 50,000 feet?

Answer 2

This question cannot be answered (especially at THAT height) without additional information. It is necessary to know the "drag coefficient" of the object in its free-fall orientation, and it's cross-sectional area in its free-fall orientation, and its weight (mass, actually).

The terminal velocity of a 1 foot diameter beach ball is quite different from that of a 2 foot diameter beach ball.

The terminal velocity of a 1 foot diameter bowling ball would be quite different from that of a 1 foot diameter beach ball.

The problem is that in all of these cases, the object has to overcome the resistance of air, and the mass and shape of the object therefore make a huge difference -- and the longer the drop, the greater the difference in absolute speed when the object finally goes splat.

Even though all objects respond to gravity in the same way, they do NOT respond to air in the same way, and both decide how fast the object will drop.

Answer 3

There is not enough information for a proper answer. The nature of the object and its shape is required. The greater the coefficient of drag, the lower the terminal velocity.

The object could be a parachute and it can drift quite slowly and touch down rather gently.

50,000 feet is can be achieved by airplanes, especially the military jet aircrafts. Even hot air balloons can attain that altitude.

Answer 4

0. When it hits the ground, it'll have no speed.

Answer 5

it reaches terminal velocity and goes no faster...there's a formula for that

Answer 6

Very fast