# Practical Daily question \[about jumping off a building\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068 "2009-05-11T18:29:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/61 "2009-05-14T17:45:02Z")
He chucks melons at female passers-by from a height of 600 feet? ---
**Author:** ![Hadrian\_s\_Wall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/58956e/32.png) [@Hadrian\_s\_Wall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hadrian_s_Wall)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/62 "2009-05-14T23:12:01Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > He chucks melons at female passers-by from a height of 600 feet? Letterman is obviously more daring than I thought 😃 ---
**Author:** ![HellsAngel21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9de053/32.png) [@HellsAngel21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HellsAngel21)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/63 "2009-05-18T14:28:47Z")
You know, I think that McLuhan’s Thunder needs to be mighty careful about what he says, as he just happened to piss me off, his FEMINIST girlfriend. ---
**Author:** ![HellsAngel21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9de053/32.png) [@HellsAngel21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HellsAngel21)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/64 "2009-05-18T14:30:56Z")
> [@McLuhan's Thunder](#): > > I think we can safely assume that manbombing will involve, not to be sexist here, a man. Women are probably too smart for it, that’s why they’re in the kitchen making me something to eat 🙂 That’s it. I cannot beleive you. I cannot beleive you. I thought I knew you. You have disaoppointed me majorly.:mad: You are now guarranteed that I will never make you any god damn food. Make it yourself! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/65 "2009-05-18T16:45:43Z")
> [@HellsAngel21](#): > > You know, I think that McLuhan’s Thunder needs to be mighty careful about what he says, as he just happened to piss me off, his FEMINIST girlfriend. > [@HellsAngel21](#): > > That’s it. I cannot beleive you. I cannot beleive you. I thought I knew you. You have disaoppointed me majorly.:mad: You are now guarranteed that I will never make you any god damn food. Make it yourself! [Moderator note] If you have a personal issue with another poster, please take it elsewhere. Don’t begin a fight here in GQ. No warning issued. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/66 "2009-05-18T19:16:38Z")
His feminist girlfriend with no sense of humor… ? ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/67 "2009-05-18T19:39:35Z")
To be serious for a moment; in a vacumn if you walked off the building in the same speed and direction of the woman walking, wouldn’t you just have to jump when she is directly underneath? ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/68 "2009-05-18T19:54:05Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > To be serious for a moment; in a vacumn if you walked off the building in the same speed and direction of the woman walking, wouldn’t you just have to jump when she is directly underneath? All a vacuum does is mean you don’t have to account for wind resistance slowing your fall. It doesn’t mean you instantly transport from where you jumped to the ground. If you were to jump in a vacuum when she was directly underneath you, by the time you hit the ground, she’d be a couple dozen feet away. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/69 "2009-05-18T19:54:45Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > To be serious for a moment; in a vacumn if you walked off the building in the same speed and direction of the woman walking, wouldn’t you just have to jump when she is directly underneath? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/70 "2009-05-18T20:02:40Z")
Wait, I missed the “at the speed and direction of the woman walking.” Of course, the question is, how does one match the speed and direction of someone walking on the ground below you? You’d need some sort of platform sticking out from the edge of the building so that you could walk directly above her. And it would need to be an absolutely perfect vacuum, too. ---
**Author:** ![HellsAngel21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9de053/32.png) [@HellsAngel21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HellsAngel21)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/71 "2009-05-18T20:42:56Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > His feminist girlfriend with no sense of humor… ? I have a sense of humor, just not much of one when its finals week.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![HellsAngel21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9de053/32.png) [@HellsAngel21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HellsAngel21)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/72 "2009-05-18T20:45:08Z")
So, let’s say there’s a woman, and she’s jumping( same scenario)…should she jump on a fat man, more cushiony, or a thin one??? and besides, didn’t anyone take into consideration weight?! ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/73 "2009-05-18T21:06:52Z")
For the jumper, weight doesn’t factor into it. Assuming a vacuum, or the same wind resistance, a light object and a heavy object will accellerate exactly the same. As to the weight of the jumpee… After a 40-story jump, it’s my guess that you’re going to hit hard enough that you’re near-instantly dead either way, so it’s just a question of how big a splash you want to make (ew?). ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/74 "2009-05-18T21:37:45Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Assuming a vacuum, or the same wind resistance, a light object and a heavy object will accellerate exactly the same. True for a vacuum, but not for a fall through air: of two objects with the same drag, the heavier one falls further in the same time. For a thought experiment, drop two ping-pong balls 50 feet; one is empty, the other is filled with lead shot. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/75 "2009-05-19T15:32:19Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > True for a vacuum, but not for a fall through air: of two objects with the same drag, the heavier one falls further in the same time. > > For a thought experiment, drop two ping-pong balls 50 feet; one is empty, the other is filled with lead shot. I’m quite sure this is completely wrong. One of the first things you learn in a physics class is that accelleration from gravity is completely unrelated to the mass of the object in question–it’s about 32 fps^2 regardless. So, two otherwise identical ping-pong balls of differing weights dropped simultaneously from the same height would hit the ground at the same time. [“In the absence of any other forces, any object will accelerate in a gravitational field at the same rate, regardless of the mass of the object.”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_acceleration) ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/76 "2009-05-19T16:21:08Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I’m quite sure this is completely wrong. One of the first things you learn in a physics class is that accelleration from gravity is completely unrelated to the mass of the object in question–it’s about 32 fps^2 regardless. So, two otherwise identical ping-pong balls of differing weights dropped simultaneously from the same height would hit the ground at the same time. > > [“In the absence of any other forces, any object will accelerate in a gravitational field at the same rate, regardless of the mass of the object.”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_acceleration) No **Xema** is correct. When falling _through air_, the more massive object with the same drag will fall farther than the lighter object. Not because gravity accelerates the two differently, but because the constant drag force accelerates the two objects differently. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/77 "2009-05-19T16:51:46Z")
> [@zut](#): > > No **Xema** is correct. When falling _through air_, the more massive object with the same drag will fall farther than the lighter object. Not because gravity accelerates the two differently, but because the constant drag force accelerates the two objects differently. But why would it? Isn’t it only acting on the surface area of the object (i.e., something unaffected by mass)? ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/78 "2009-05-19T17:32:06Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > But why would it? Isn’t it only acting on the surface area of the object (i.e., something unaffected by mass)? Exactly. Given that the air resistance would be equal for both ping pong balls, it will “cancel out” a greater proportion of the downward force on the empty ping pong ball than the loaded one. Say the empty ping ping ball weighed 2 N and the loaded one weighed 10 N. Suppose at a given speed the air resistance for both was 1 N\*. The empty one will accelerate at 50% of its in-a-vacuum rate and the loaded one at 90%. \*There is some handwaving involved because air resistance depends on velocity but it works nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/79 "2009-05-19T17:42:41Z")
But… Why does the \*\*mass \*\*have anything to do with the air resistance? I can wrap my head around “more surface area equals more drag,” but I don’t get “more mass equals more drag.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068/80 "2009-05-19T17:49:26Z")
I don’t have the proper terminology to explain this, but the drag is not changed. It’s that a more massive object is less affected by it. Imagine a ping pong ball and a bowling ball on a flat surface. Blow on the ping pong ball, then blow on the bowling ball. Which moves more? Oops bad example – imagine a sold lead ball the same size as a ping pong ball. It takes more energy to move the more massive object, and it also takes more energy to deflect a more massive moving object from its course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-daily-question-about-jumping-off-a-building/496068.md?page=5)