About the person who did a belly flop from the high diving board at the swimming pool and split his torso open?
2007-07-12 08:36:17 · 29 answers · asked by Darlingthatsfabulous 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
i cant believe you asked that question wow what a coincidenece! my friend was seriously injured doing that, so i can imagine splitting a torso open is plausible
2007-07-12 08:39:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's all to do with the surface tension of the water. When you hit the water at high speed, it's like hitting a hard object. This is why when a powerboat overturns in the water at high speed, it disintegrates like a formula 1 car does when it takes a tumble off the race circuit.
When it comes to diving, you will probably have noticed that a neat dive into the water from the edge of the pool is painless (enless you dive into the shallow end and crack your head open), but a belly flop is very painful and can even result it bruising. Because more body area hits the water (flat against flat) there is not so much displacement (it's a bit like trying to walk in deep snow with snow shoes and then trying without them).
The other thing is that there is a minimum height where if you go over that, you will reach the most velocity you can as you fall. It's impossible to drop any faster without some assistance, such as a jet engine. As soon as you reach a high speed, you are going to potentially be in trouble, even if you make a perfect dive. Even taking into account the fact that water will try to displace to accomodate the object falling in to it, from a great height and with enough accumulated speed, that water is going to feel very hard if you land on it belly first - not quite as hard as concrete, but it might as well be. The physics of the situation decree that you could break bones, have your eyes smashed, suffer severe bruises and - yes - even suffer severe lacerations.
Stories grow in the telling of them. Whether the person had his stomach split open and/or died I don't know. Maybe he just suffered some painful lacerations and bad bruising. But the thing is, it COULD happen.
2007-07-12 11:02:57 · answer #2 · answered by River J 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Thats definatley an urban ledgend. Splitting your torso open over a maybe 15-20 foot drop into water is impossible, although I can garrantee that it won't be pleasant.
2007-07-12 08:39:39 · answer #3 · answered by Poochie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A friend of mine went to a hospital after doing that. So yes it is true. Because the water is so hard when you hit it flat with your stomach it can rip your skin apart. Just like hitting the ground. That's why in the movies you see if people jump off a high building into the water they will shoot bullets in the water to break it up, so it doesn't hurt so bad when they fall in the water.
So I'd suggest: don't do it. You can definately get hurt.
2007-07-12 08:46:02 · answer #4 · answered by jpcjulia 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That would be an urban legend.What would be true is the part where the diver ended up splashing cars over a quarter mile away.
2007-07-12 08:41:08 · answer #5 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think its true I've heard of people splitting the skin on their forehead open from a high dive
2007-07-12 10:16:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you consider the physics involved, it sounds like an urban legend.
2007-07-12 08:44:06 · answer #7 · answered by Niklaus Pfirsig 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think this is an urban legend as i heard someone tell me this story about someone they knew. It can't have happened that frequently??
2007-07-13 03:24:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Think that ones a myth! Ive heard of that one, It was a rumour going around my school that it had happened in the school pool years ago. but I don't believe it
2007-07-12 08:42:59 · answer #9 · answered by tootnuts 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Myth
2007-07-12 08:38:40 · answer #10 · answered by ALLEN B 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋