# Person falls 40 feet into a 10' deep pool filled with set jello or water. Which is safer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725 "2014-08-17T00:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/41 "2014-08-19T21:02:50Z")
How about a pool full of cafeteria Jell-O? Green or red one inch cubes from top to bottom? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/42 "2014-08-19T21:04:56Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Suffocation may be a problem. Or diabetes. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/43 "2014-08-20T18:06:46Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > How did you jump & dive at the same time? No wonder you hit the bottom… 😉 Diving is a subset of jumping. > [@Sunspace](#): > > What we need here is a fluid that gets more dense as you go down. Can this be done with gelatin? Maybe if you mix batches in layers. Make up a bottom layer ~3 ft thick, with extra gelatin, to make it thick. Let it set. Then pour the next layer, use less gelatin, let it set. Then put the top layer on with less gelatin. Have a gelatin sandwich with water on top and gummibears at the bottom. I’m not sure if that would work. Anybody tried layering jello before? > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > There was a previous thread (a few years ago, now) about the ideal material for falling into. As I said then, I think that the material is less important than the engineering. Falling into a steel plate might suck, but thin sheets of steel wool spaced apart from one another, increasing in thickness, might not be too bad. Except for the part about being sliced to ribbons. While steel wool is flexible and thus compressible, steel is sharp. Seriously, a guy at work nearly took a finger off trying to remove strands from a lathe job. Turning metal means shaving off thin strips. When done, he had a clump of thin steel strips on the tool, tried to remove it by hand. > [@](#): > > Likewise, if you could aerate your gelatin, possibly you could lower its density and give it greater compressibility. Once you can do that, layering it into varying densities should be relatively easy. Aerating your gelatin… would gelatin set up if bubbles were flowing through it? > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > How about a pool full of cafeteria Jell-O? Green or red one inch cubes from top to bottom? Stack of cubes has potential, more like hitting a box of foam bits than a single slab. Of course, it doesn’t take a very deep layer to start squishing out the air. I don’t think the gelatin would reset on the creases, which might give less resistance to flow. Hmmmm. ---
**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 20, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/44 "2014-08-20T18:18:53Z")
Layering gelatin, and aerating the top layers so they’re less dense, is a standard practice in making it for dessert. I see no reason it couldn’t be done here, too. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/45 "2014-08-20T20:08:12Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Why don’t you just make ten deeper and make ten be the top number and make that a little deeper? It doesn’t matter how deep you make it. There’s always room for Jell-O. ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/46 "2014-08-21T04:55:41Z")
What if it was the old Jello 1-2-3? When you made it, it separated into three layers… The top one somehow seemed to be like whipped cream… It’s gotta be nicer hitting nice soft whipped cream before you get to the jello! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/47 "2014-08-21T05:08:12Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Are these Jello shots? Jello splats. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/48 "2014-08-21T05:11:24Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Except for the part about being sliced to ribbons. While steel wool is flexible and thus compressible, steel is sharp. Seriously, a guy at work nearly took a finger off trying to remove strands from a lathe job. Turning metal means shaving off thin strips. When done, he had a clump of thin steel strips on the tool, tried to remove it by hand. 1. Those were rooted, so they had purchase to cut into him (if I understand your description correctly). A steel wool that was engineered for this purpose would be on the edge of falling apart. 2. Those were edged by the slicing process, whereas steel threads in wool are rounded off. Otherwise, you’d get cut every time you try cleaning your dishes with it. 3. If you get something fragile enough - like a super, super thin thread - then even though that allows it to be very sharp, it won’t have enough strength to cut. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/49 "2014-08-21T07:37:48Z")
How about if you dive into a vat of Jello and then Jello-wrestle with a couple of scantily clad lasses. How dangerous might _that_ be? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/50 "2014-08-21T08:16:35Z")
Breathing apparatus or no breathing apparatus? ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/51 "2014-08-21T10:27:34Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > How about if you dive into a vat of Jello and then Jello-wrestle with a couple of scantily clad lasses. How dangerous might _that_ be? My wife would _ **kill** _ me, that’s how dangerous it’d be (if I had a wife, that is. Since I don’t, I’ll take one for the team and volunteer to test your hypothetical, cuz that’s the kind of guy I am). ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/52 "2014-08-21T23:31:47Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Aerating your gelatin… would gelatin set up if bubbles were flowing through it? Whipped Jelly! Which used to be done sometimes with straight jelly, (without cream or milk or substitute) Yes, it can set with bubbles in it. Which is actually a sensible suggestion. If you are jumping of a bridge, bubbles in the water softens water too. And they do the same thing with cardboard boxes (bubbles of air trapped in cardboard) for jumping off buildings. ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/53 "2014-08-22T06:36:03Z")
You will decelerate quicker in jello due to it being more viscous. It won’t get out of your way as easily as water. So you would not go as deep into it. It would be a complex calculation to tell how much it would hurt. A belly flop might cause bad internal injury. What I remember from making jello, it seems the density would be close to plain water. It does not expand much, if at all. But it is now longer cross linked molecules. Much harder. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/54 "2014-08-25T16:25:55Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > 1. Those were edged by the slicing process, whereas steel threads in wool are rounded off. Otherwise, you’d get cut every time you try cleaning your dishes with it. Incorrect. Steel wool is in fact sharp on the edges, at least when “new.” That’s how it works. The interface between your fingers and the steel wool has more “give” in it than the interface between the steel wool and the burnt-on crud on the pan. Friction from use blunts the edge, and oxidation during aging might. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725.md?page=2)