# dropping a basketball off empire state building **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751 "2007-04-26T17:06:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/41 "2007-04-27T00:22:41Z")
[QUOTE=brad\_d] A basketball is pretty big, and really not that heavy; you would not expect it to have a terminal speed as high as a human, for example. [/QUOTE] So would a human being thrown off the ESB bounce or pop? ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/42 "2007-04-27T00:23:30Z")
How fast is a basketball going when dribbled by a pro athlete? ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/43 "2007-04-27T00:26:10Z")
[QUOTE=SaintCad] So would a human being thrown off the ESB bounce or pop? [/QUOTE] They’d go splat. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/44 "2007-04-27T01:56:48Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq] The problem is that it is on a conveyor belt that goes as fast as it does. This precludes it from moving at all; it simply hangs in midair. Unless you choose Door #2. 😛 [/QUOTE] Okay, suppose you dropped a basketball into the Marianas Trench? ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/45 "2007-04-27T03:24:28Z")
Then the airplane would not be able to take off because it would be underwater at the same time. And besides, the Marianas don’t play in the NBA - they’re in a Polynesian league, I believe. Incidentally, this does prove the existence of crop circles, however. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/46 "2007-04-27T03:52:49Z")
What does Extra Special Bitter have to do with anything? ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/47 "2007-04-27T04:35:46Z")
If you want the basketball to miss the tiers of the building you take Shaq up to the top, tell him to throw that ball onto the tier and tell him that it is considered a free throw. 😃 I think a more interesting question would be what happens to a golf ball or a dart. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/48 "2007-04-27T04:49:49Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Carrot] Right, but that’s a human force, not terminal velocity. Many pitchers can get fastballs over 100 mph (or so I’ve heard), but that’s irrelevant; the issue here is how fast gravity will make the basketball go. [/QUOTE] The issue here isn’t _making_ the basketball go anywhere. The basketball has to _want_ to go, if it will ever reach self-empowerment and peace. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/49 "2007-04-27T05:11:13Z")
Throw the ball down from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/50 "2007-04-27T08:46:56Z")
An African or European basketball? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/51 "2007-04-27T14:04:47Z")
Are African or Eurpoean basketballs magically able to avoid the tiered levels of the ESB? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/52 "2007-04-27T14:09:19Z")
[QUOTE=Philster] Are African or Eurpoean basketballs magically able to avoid the tiered levels of the ESB? [/QUOTE] For that, you are you are cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/53 "2007-04-27T14:24:01Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] Wait. You couldn’t just _drop_ a basketball from the empire state building: it’s tiered. [/QUOTE] So, you’re saying it will all end in tiers? mm ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/54 "2007-04-27T15:50:17Z")
Wait a minute - you couldn’t drop a basketball from the top of the Empire State Building. First of all, there are tiers that would keep the ball from hitting the ground. Didn’t anyone think of that? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/55 "2007-04-27T15:52:11Z")
Enough with the lame jokes. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/56 "2007-04-28T02:42:22Z")
[QUOTE=treis] Enough with the lame jokes. [/QUOTE] You were close mamboman, it seems that it all ends in treis. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/57 "2007-04-28T03:04:58Z")
[QUOTE=CC] Wait a minute - you couldn’t drop a basketball from the top of the Empire State Building. First of all, there are tiers that would keep the ball from hitting the ground. Didn’t anyone think of that? :smack: [/QUOTE] Only if you forget to unplug it first!! ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/58 "2007-04-28T05:46:47Z")
[QUOTE=treis] Enough with the lame jokes. [/QUOTE] You have your enough with your lame jokes? I prefer my enough on the side, and lame jokes as a main. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/59 "2007-04-28T06:19:56Z")
Gry. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/60 "2007-04-28T06:51:15Z")
Has anyone brought up the tiers yet? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751.md?page=4)