# It's raining toilet paper rolls. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 17, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-raining-toilet-paper-rolls/557459 "2010-10-17T17:56:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-raining-toilet-paper-rolls/557459/21 "2010-10-20T21:37:45Z")
Figure a roll of [toilet paper weighs 100 grams](http://www.trader-china.com/Packaging-Paper/Sanitary-Paper/Toilet-Tissue/Bathroom-Tissue-l8472.html). It has a diameter of about 9 cm, and a height of about 11 cm. Rough cross sectional area calculations put it at ~63 cm^2. Say it has a drag coefficient of .5. This is very generous, the aerodynamics of something with a tail of tissue paper, constantly tumbling, would be much lower probably. Bullets, smooth and shaped for aerodynamic flight, are .3, and humans about 1.0. Let’s assume it’s about one and a half times as dense as air at sea level, so about 2.25 kg/M^3. This is the biggest guess, out of these calcs, but it’s not very dense stuff. Those jumbo packs which aren’t much smaller than a meter cubed can be picked up by small children without much difficulty. Now we [calculate terminal velocity](http://www.calctool.org/CALC/eng/aerospace/terminal) and come up with ~1.7 m/s. 1.7 m/s is nothing, it’s a power walking speed. There is virtually no chance this low-density object falling at that speed will result in injury to anyone. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-raining-toilet-paper-rolls/557459/22 "2010-10-20T21:44:47Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > Now we [calculate terminal velocity](http://www.calctool.org/CALC/eng/aerospace/terminal) and come up with ~1.7 m/s. 1.7 m/s is nothing, it’s a power walking speed. There is virtually no chance this low-density object falling at that speed will result in injury to anyone. But, didn’t you read the article. It mentions 9/11. It doesn’t have to be non threatening when you invoke 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-raining-toilet-paper-rolls/557459/23 "2010-10-21T16:43:39Z")
IMHO the worst thing one could say about the pilot is that he’s a ply short. I hope this harmless incident gets papered over – although that may not be wad some of the FAA & Homeland Security officials want. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-raining-toilet-paper-rolls/557459/24 "2010-10-21T16:56:36Z")
I can see it now. The roll starts unrolling the minute it leaves the plane, and continues until…it totally unrolls and flutters to the ground. Littering, maybe, but doesn’t sound dangerous. Just make sure to start the unravelling in time. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-raining-toilet-paper-rolls/557459/25 "2010-10-21T17:27:10Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > Instead of doing touch-and-goes, I would fly over the field where my friends were marching and throw \*\*dry \*\*TP rolls and sandwich bags of flour at the tubas. I don’t think I ever hit one. That was YOU??? :eek:😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-raining-toilet-paper-rolls/557459/26 "2010-10-21T17:29:33Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#): > > IMHO the worst thing one could say about the pilot is that he’s a ply short. I hope this harmless incident gets papered over – although that may not be wad some of the FAA & Homeland Security officials want. But before floating judgement we should wait for the straight poop on this to be pushed out – no settling for number 2 as far as news is concerned. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-raining-toilet-paper-rolls/557459.md?page=1)