# dropping a basketball off empire state building

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751>\
**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:** 5\
**Page:** 6

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**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, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/101 "2007-05-03T18:20:17Z")

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I’m not sure, but I’d like to know what would happen if aliens vapourised the moon and everyone in China jumped up and down at the same time while I was doing it.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/102 "2007-05-03T18:31:17Z")

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All your tier are belong to us!

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/103 "2007-05-03T19:12:10Z")

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[QUOTE=Princhester]  
Throw the ball down from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.  
[/QUOTE]  
😃

Perhaps the force would send the ball boring through the Earth; I’m pretty sure it would come out in China.

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/104 "2007-05-03T23:10:49Z")

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What you all seem to be missing is that you can’t really throw a basketball off the Empire State Building and have it hit the ground, because…there are tiers in the building, and the ball would hit one and possibly never make it to the ground. I can’t understand why someone didn’t think of that in the first place!

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-basketball-off-empire-state-building/401751/105 "2007-05-04T15:07:21Z")

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What about a huge rubber ball filled with crude oil? Would that make it past the, what did you call them? Tiers?

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