If you were inside a falling elevator and you jumped out just before it hit the ground, would you be OK?

Question

I saw the Pink Panther do it once in a cartoon, except with him it was a falling house... The house fell off the cliff, then he stepped out just before it hit the ground and he was OK, but the house was smashed to bits, so I wonder if it is possible.

Answer 1

You will be falling with the same velocity as the elevator and when you jump out, you will hit the ground with a high velocity. I don't think you will be OK.

What you saw was a cartoon. Stunts also may show such scenes in movies.

Answer 2

Depends on how high the elevator started. Whatever the height, you and the elevator fall at the same speed (as Galileo proved), so if you could fall from that height (without the elevator involved) and be OK, then yes. But if it's much over 10 feet up, then no, of course not.

Those physical impossibilities are what make the cartoons FUNNY. Wiley Coyote doesn't fall when he's run off the edge of the cliff, for instance, until he looks down.

Answer 3

Uh, no.
This is a frame of reference problem.
Yes, you seem motionless relative to the falling house/elevator - because you are falling right along with it.
Unfortunately, you are still approaching the hard ground at a high velocity.
It isn't the elevator or the house that is the problem - it is the falling 5 stories onto the ground that makes it all so ouchy
Being surrounded by an elevator or a house on the way down doesn't change the fact that you are falling a looong way - regardless of when you step outside of it

Answer 4

i seriously do not think it is possible. Pink Panther is just a cartoon. and besides, you wouldn't have time. according to the newton's law of physics, you will experience weightlessness if the lift "freefalls" with acceleration. meaning, you will be "floating" in the lift. imagine when the lift moves downwards in a really high building at fullspeed. you feel "lighter", right? that is the reason.

Answer 5

You won't b okay I suppose, bcoz the same speed dat it was travelling at is the very same speed that U will be falling at. To me it will b the same as falling from outside the lift. The other possibility is dat U might die, provided dat the lift burns.

Answer 6

Yeah, sure. It works for falling aeroplanes as well. Didn't you hear that story recently where the plane was careering down, out of control at 1000mph, but thankfully everyone survived due to them all jumping out at the last second? Whew, that's what I call a lucky escape!

Answer 7

be it an elevator or a house ull definetly not be ok coz ull still have the momentum due to the inertia of motion.........still dont believe me why dont u try it out urself!?! :P :D