Could you save yourself by jumping up just before the falling lift you were in hit the bottom of the shaft?

Question

Lift=elevator.

Answer 1

For about a nano-second until the bottom of the lift crushes you like a bug against the top of the lift with an impact so fierce that it will take emergency personnel three days to extract the oil that was YOU from the wreckage !!!!

Answer 2

Short answer, no you can't.

Long answer: Imagine you and the lift were seperate things dropped from the same height. You would both be accelerating at the rate of gravity at 9.8m/s2. So even if you jump up at the last instance, you would actually still be falling at that rate when u hit bottom. Note that you said "at the last instance". This also depends on how high the lift was to begin with. Say if the lift was only 2m off the ground, then your force wouldn't be enough to kill you if the lift fell from a standstill. But if the lift started at say, 50m off the ground, you would most definiteyl go splat. However, if you managed to jump a the first instance when the elevator wasn't gaining speed, at say, the first 5m of the fall, and also manage to hang on to something outside the lift, then yes you would survive.

Just imagine a ball dropping from 5m and 50m. The force at which the ball hit the ground would be more at 50m then 5m, even if acceleration is tha same.

I also had a funny thought that driving in a truck and the truck was a constant *speed* and if u jumped high enough, would you fly backwards? THe answer is no because you initially were also travelling at that same speed (you would know if you stuck your head out the window and felt the wind on your face). So in fact you would be jumping forwards anyways and then land in the same position as the truck, so relative to the truck you wouldn't have moved at all. BUt to an outsider you may have moved a few metres forward already depending on the speed of the truck. But IF the truck was *accelerating, you would definitely move backwards if you jumped (and also proved by that force you feel with your back against the seat when the driver presses on the accelerator.) So anyhow, interesting stuff....and hence Einstein's Theory of Relativity! Love it so much.....

Answer 3

No.

You will need to have a jumping velocity that atleasts knocks of some of your kinetic energy due to your fall. To get that kind of velocity, you will need to exert tremendous force on the surface on which you are resting. Imagining that you are SO strong, still you cant convert that force to velocity because the resting surface too is moving. When you exert force, the lifts floor will simply accelerate downwards. You cant jump fast (in terms of velocity) enough to neutralize your kinetic energy.

Crashhhh, .... Splat!

PS: You can save yourself if you can use force on something that is not linked to the falling lift. For example if you have a good rocket pack (Sc-Fi) or a parachute.

Answer 4

it truly is the perfect time for exercising consultation the "2d variety vector arithmetic" If the elevate is falling at (as an occasion) 32'/2d (downwards) then you certainly will die whilst it hits the backside of the shaft. in case you bounce in basic terms in the past impact you will achive a vertical speed (upwards) of roughly 2'/2d, in case you're fortunate. keep in mind which you're already descending at 32'/2d. you should now subtract your upward speed from that of the elevate to grant your somewhat speed on the time once you hit the backside of the shaft. this supply you a internet speed of 30'/2d (downwards). you would be very not likely to stay to tell the story an impact at that speed. If via some possibility you have the ability to achive an upward velcolity of 32'/2d in basic terms as a results of fact the floor of the elevate reaches the backside your internet speed would be 0. regrettably, the roof of the elevate will nevertheless be traveling downwards at 32'/2d so that is nevertheless "strawberry jam" time. Sorry.

Answer 5

No way. The velocity of the elevator in free fall is so much greater than the speed at which you jump. Sorry.

Answer 6

Nope. You'd STILL have MORE than enough downward momentum- to go "splat"- on the Elevator floor. :)

Answer 7

Yes.

Answer 8

No.