I assume that you’re in the “standing upright” position as you fall? Does that have much of an effect on terminal velcity? If so, wouldn’t the best strategy be to fall with your body horizontal, and limbs spread out to increase surface area, and then at the last minute assume a vertical position for best entry into the water? Or does your body position not really affect terminal velocity that much. It might not make much difference from 90ft, but if you had to fall from a mile up, for example, would it matter?
Arjuna34
Body position makes a huge difference for terminal velocity, a fact often used by skydivers to maneuver relative to each other while in freefall. However, it’s pretty close to negligable for a fall of only 90 feet, and such a short fall also allows you little time to change position for optimal orientation to hit the water, so you should probably start off vertical.
So is the 120-130 mph terminal velocity mentioned above the highest (i.e. in a diving position) or lowest (i.e. prone) velocity? If so, what’s the other extreme?
Arjuna34
The 120-130 figure is for a spread-eagle (slower) orientation. For a faster (more vertical) orientation, the speed is about 200 mph.