# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/81 "2007-05-02T22:13:58Z")
Another problem is you have to get past an army of pig-human hybrid slaves to even reach the top of the Empire State Building. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/82 "2007-05-02T22:27:09Z")
[QUOTE=Lately tho..] Has anyone noticed that a basketball is made for bouncing, therefore it should bounce, and although the tiers may be impossible to miss, the ball will bounce from one tier to another and after clearing the last tier it will accelerate to the estimated terminal velocity, right? [/QUOTE] Not necessarily. It might bounce such that it actually gets stuck somewhere, or can’t clear the next tier or what have you. Interesting idea, but I don’t think it quite works. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/83 "2007-05-02T22:30:17Z")
[QUOTE=Nancarrow] Another problem is you have to get past an army of pig-human hybrid slaves to even reach the top of the Empire State Building. [/QUOTE] Pig-man! /Seinfeld ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/84 "2007-05-03T02:14:11Z")
[Carl Denham] > [@](#): > > Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was tiers that killed the beast. [/Carl Denham] ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/85 "2007-05-03T02:31:49Z")
[QUOTE=treis] Enough with the lame jokes. [/QUOTE] Oh, the thread will limp to a halt soon enough, leave them be. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/86 "2007-05-03T06:14:52Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] If Chuck Norris was standing on the sidewalk at the bottom, the basketball would return to a greater height than it started from. [/QUOTE] If Chuck Norris was standing on the sidewalk the ball would stop 100’ from the ground hovering and quaking in fear, terrified it might hit Chuck Norris, who would in turn hit the ball so hard that all future basketballs would come out of the mold with a dent the shape of chuck norris’s fist. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/87 "2007-05-03T07:24:04Z")
[QUOTE=Weirddave] Oh, the thread will limp to a halt soon enough, leave them be. [/QUOTE] This thread is far too inteiresting to die. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/88 "2007-05-03T07:29:17Z")
Wait, are you saying that the Empire State Building has teirs? ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/89 "2007-05-03T10:48:19Z")
I burning your tiers. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/90 "2007-05-03T11:22:57Z")
Could God build a skyscraper so tiered that even _he_ could not drop a basketball from the observation deck? The only way to be sure is to take off and drop it from orbit. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/91 "2007-05-03T11:35:36Z")
[QUOTE=Nancarrow] Another problem is you have to get past an army of pig-human hybrid slaves to even reach the top of the Empire State Building. [/QUOTE] True, and the only reason the tiers are there is so the Sonic Screwdriver doesn’t embed itself in the pavement. Yep - even Doctor Who knows about the tiers. 😛 Si ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/92 "2007-05-03T12:02:33Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] The only way to be sure is to take off and drop it from orbit. [/QUOTE] I did that SDMB cliche already. Go get your own. I don’t think anyone’s brought Opal into it yet… ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/93 "2007-05-03T12:17:44Z")
Did anyone unplug the basketball, first? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/94 "2007-05-03T13:27:39Z")
[QUOTE=Ring] King Kong didn’t bounce. Except off the tiers of course of course. But then again an ape isn’t a horse, however a horse is a horse of course of course. [/QUOTE] And if you tossed a horse, instead of King Kong, would we need to involve **T** rue **I** nnocence **E** quine **R** escue, better known as “TIER”? > **[Southern California Horse Rescue :: True Innocents Equine Rescue (TIER)](http://www.tierrescue.org/)** > > TIER helps horses in need ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/95 "2007-05-03T14:47:01Z")
[QUOTE=Princhester] I did that SDMB cliche already. Go get your own. I don’t think anyone’s brought Opal into it yet… [/QUOTE] The only way to be sure of it hitting the groud is to; 1. Throw, don’t drop it. 2. Take off and drop it from orbit. 3. Hi Opal. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/96 "2007-05-03T15:18:14Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] The only way to be sure of it hitting the groud is to; 1. Throw, don’t drop it. 2. Take off and drop it from orbit. 3. Hi Opal. [/QUOTE] The \*\*groud \*\*won’t show up if Opal is there. Si ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/97 "2007-05-03T16:09:06Z")
[QUOTE=si\_blakely] The \*\*groud \*\*won’t show up if Opal is there. Si [/QUOTE] Well than I’ll just jump off the observation deck as punishment :o ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/98 "2007-05-03T16:28:17Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] Well than I’ll just jump off the observation deck as punishment :o [/QUOTE] You have to jump out, really far - otherwise you’ll just land on the … oh, nevermind. 😉 Si ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/99 "2007-05-03T16:50:55Z")
You won’t be satisfied until you see me lying bruised on the, oooh, at least the second tier! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/100 "2007-05-03T17:00:05Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] You won’t be satisfied until you see me lying bruised on the, oooh, at least the second tier! 😛 [/QUOTE] So, how fast would you need to be running to clear the tiers from the observation deck? Si [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751.md?page=6)