# Dropping a penny from the Empire State Building **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 21, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914 "2003-07-21T14:27:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/21 "2003-07-23T12:23:05Z")
Didn’t notice the location of the poster. I know Joe D. and he is a moron. Also, I have almost all of Cecil’s books, my brother gave them to me for my birthday several years ago. Before that I had never heard of him as I don’t usually read The City Paper, which carries his column. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/22 "2003-07-25T05:01:12Z")
Regarding gluing the string to the penny, I didn’t see it so much as the string terminating at the exact center of the coin (with a dot of glue), such that the coin is perpendicular to the string. Rather, I visualize the string layed across one side, with a strip roughly across the middle of one side of the coin and the glue. That way, the string exits approximately parallel to the coin (some slight cant). In that manner, the coin can tumble pretty well in a spiral manner about the coin. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/23 "2003-07-27T01:25:22Z")
This made me laugh out loud: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Country Squire \* > **pennies today are made of aluminum (or “aluminium,” if you’re a Brit)** ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/24 "2003-07-27T13:01:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chula \* > \*\*This made me laugh out loud: \*\* Why? It’s just a statement of fact. Julie ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/25 "2003-07-28T08:28:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shrinking Violet \* > **Why? It’s just a statement of fact.** I thought they decided that pennies weren’t made of aluminum, nor aluminium? Regardless, [AFU comes through again](http://www.google.com/groups?selm=662214ca.0307212118.727845bf%40posting.google.com). Adam Savage of Mythbusters posted July 22 about his experiment (and reported on calculations) that showed a penny’s terminal velocity between 35 mph (flat) and 65 mph (on edge). Very nice stuff, simple too. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/26 "2003-07-29T14:01:48Z")
I thought the poster was LOLing at the Brit spelling/pronunciation of aluminium … maybe I got the wrong end of the stick. I’ve no idea what pennies are made from … 🙂 Julie ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/28 "2003-08-09T01:27:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Instilllator \* > **You’re all wrong.** No we’re not. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lesa in the sixth post of this thread \* > \*\*Because of the way the Empire State Building is shaped, the pennies don’t reach the ground. > > The top of the building is very narrow, getting wider as it goes down. The pennies land on various ledges and stages of the building on the way down. There is one ledge in particular where almost all of the pennies land.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![spogga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@spogga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spogga)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/29 "2003-08-17T16:21:55Z")
Why do Americans call cents “pennies”. We Brits have pennies and we don’t call them cents. So there. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/30 "2003-08-17T17:47:04Z")
Cents, pence… Two nations separated by a common language. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/31 "2003-08-18T22:35:21Z")
> [@](#): > > We Brits have pennies and we don’t call them cents. …Unless by “Brits” you mean “inabitants of the British Isles”, in which case some Brits do have cent (cent, incidentally, being the plural of cent, in this context). Confusingly, though, the Euro 2 cent piece is almost identical to the American one cent coin (except for that neat channel around the edge… American coins have boring edges). Actually I should say “American one cent coins”, since “American” includes Canadians, and their coinage is very similar to that used in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/32 "2003-08-19T13:29:46Z")
I’m a Brit and I have a scent (violets of course 🙂 ). And my cat leaves a scent every time it spends a penny. 😛 Julie ---
**Author:** ![spogga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@spogga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spogga)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/33 "2003-08-22T17:19:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shrinking Violet \* > \*\*I’m a Brit and I have a scent (violets of course 🙂 ). > > And my cat leaves a scent every time it spends a penny. 😛 > > Julie \*\* Quite wrong m’dear…you have a charming and alluring fragrance whereas your cat has a foul and 'orrid pong 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/34 "2003-08-24T07:48:43Z")
**spogga** said: > [@](#): > > Why do Americans call cents “pennies”. We Brits have pennies and we don’t call them cents. Because we can. **Chronos** , how exactly is “cent” the plural of “cent”? ---
**Author:** ![spogga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@spogga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spogga)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/35 "2003-08-24T09:26:02Z")
Not good enough I’m afraid, for example you do not call your 5 and 10 cent coins ‘fivepence’ and ‘tenpence’ do you…No!! It’s nickels and dimes right? So answer me, why do you call your one cent coins pennies? 😕 😉 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/36 "2003-08-24T18:06:25Z")
> [@](#): > > **Chronos** , how exactly is “cent” the plural of “cent”? Not for American cents (of the US or Canadian variety), but for Euro cent. As in, a thing in Europe might cost “fifty cent”, but not “fifty cents”. I presume that it’s because the Euro (and its component parts) is used in many different languages, with different rules for pluralization, and they wanted one term to work in all of those languages. As for nickels and dimes, the dime is (to my knowledge) the only US coin for which the official name is also the common name (the quarter is officially a “quarter dollar”, which is close). The nickel is officially a “five cent piece”, or on older coins a “half dime”, but the dime has a value listed on it of “one dime”. The dime, like the dollar, cent, and mil, is actually an official monetary unit of the US. ---
**Author:** ![Wonder\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@Wonder\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonder_Woman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/37 "2003-08-25T00:34:56Z")
A penny would not hurt anyone I am a New Yorker and I was up there There are teirs Penny for your thoughts?Ha Ha ---
**Author:** ![The\_MacDairmuid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_MacDairmuid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_MacDairmuid)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/38 "2003-08-25T06:12:56Z")
\ I held out my hand with a penny in the palm while riding a freefall-type ride at an abusement park. When the car dropped, the penny stayed in place for a while. After the car had reached bottom and completely stopped–I still had my hand out–the penny landed back in my palm with no more force than if it had fallen ten feet. \ ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/39 "2003-08-25T10:31:27Z")
> [@](#): > > freefall-type ride at an abusement park Good old Freud, eh? 😉 Julie ---
**Author:** ![Mogadon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@Mogadon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mogadon)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/40 "2003-09-02T17:16:50Z")
“Unless by “Brits” you mean “inabitants of the British Isles”, in which case some Brits do have cent …” I can’t follow this - which Brits have cents? It sounds as if someone thinks that Ireland is part of Great Britain? ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914/41 "2003-09-02T19:38:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The MacDairmuid \* > \*\* > I held out my hand with a penny in the palm while riding a freefall-type ride at an abusement park. When the car dropped, the penny stayed in place for a while. After the car had reached bottom and completely stopped–I still had my hand out–the penny landed back in my palm with no more force than if it had fallen ten feet. > \*\* That’s not a hijack, IMO, but I am skeptical. The penny shouldn’t have stayed in place for a while, and should have dropped with your hand, since it was protecting it from wind resistance. Unless this was the Wile E. Coyote Abusement Park–then, I could see it. I’d _pay_ to see it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-penny-from-the-empire-state-building/189914.md?page=3)