My friends and I were debating the notion that a penny dropped from the Sears Tower would or would not kill someone. After reading your response pertaining to the Empire State Building our arguement was not settled.
Being so close to New Years Eve and having been present for many a gun firing into the air it has occured to me, what goes up must come down. Pointed or slim, it’s not going to do anyone any favors. Unlike bullets that may (or may not) explode in flight, a penny does not. The whole “could or could not” is what is confounding us. A wives tale to prevent a##holes from doing it aside.
The truth. Do I need to challenge Myth Busters to the cause?
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, sherriepshaul, we’re glad to have you with us.
First, I’m not sure why Cecil’s answer didn’t satisfy you: he said the velocity and force would be considerably less than that of a bullet – like, around 1/3rd the force of a bullet. As such, it could do damage on a direct hit, but wouldn’t cause death or crash through the hood of a car or anything like that. So, a little clarification please. Or are you saying there’s no experimental evidence, and you’d like to volunteer?
And, finally, this belongs in a different forum, so I’m moving it. You might want to check over our forums. No biggie, and, as I say, we’re glad to have you with us.
