# Silly Portal Question **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 13, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-portal-question/612706 "2012-02-13T14:17:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-portal-question/612706/1 "2012-02-13T14:17:40Z")
At some point when playing Portal we have all set up in infinite drop scenario by placing a portal on the ceiling and another portal directly under it, in the game its easy to break the cycle by simply stepping out onto the floor. Got me wondering though if by power of plot someone was silly enough to do this ‘in real life’ without fancy shock-absorbing boots how could they save themselves? They’d be dropping at terminal velocity of 120 mph approx, I’m struggling to think of a scenario where they could break the cycle without breaking a lot of bones. Assuming no outside interference would it be possible? ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-portal-question/612706/2 "2012-02-13T14:24:29Z")
Thinking with portals, I’d say as you’re falling, take the hole you’ve put on the ceiling. Put it somewhere else on the ground. Entering the ground portal, you’ll shoot upwards out of the other portal until you run out of speed. At this point you’ll have gained significant height\*. Deploy your parachute. Presto! \*Extrapolating from one of the posts [here](http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080428082323AAcgSOw) seems to get it at 150m. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-portal-question/612706/3 "2012-02-13T14:39:46Z")
Sell tickets to it, it would be a spectacle. I will open a Concession stand, selling just one item. Cake. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-portal-question/612706/4 "2012-02-13T14:55:26Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > At some point when playing Portal we have all set up in infinite drop scenario by placing a portal on the ceiling and another portal directly under it, in the game its easy to break the cycle by simply stepping out onto the floor. > > Got me wondering though if by power of plot someone was silly enough to do this ‘in real life’ without fancy shock-absorbing boots how could they save themselves? They’d be dropping at terminal velocity of 120 mph approx, I’m struggling to think of a scenario where they could break the cycle without breaking a lot of bones. > > Assuming no outside interference would it be possible? Say the blue portal is on the ceiling and the orange one is on the floor to start with. Shoot the blue portal on the floor next to the orange one. Then, after you fly up out of the blue portal towards the ceiling, shoot an orange portal on the ceiling. Don’t miss! (Once you’ve lost enough momentum, shoot your blue portal somewhere else to avoid falling into a second infinite loop.) ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-portal-question/612706/5 "2012-02-13T16:37:09Z")
> [@MostlyClueless](#): > > Thinking with portals, I’d say as you’re falling, take the hole you’ve put on the ceiling. Put it somewhere else on the ground. Entering the ground portal, you’ll shoot upwards out of the other portal until you run out of speed. At this point you’ll have gained significant height\*. Deploy your parachute. Presto! > > \*Extrapolating from one of the posts [here](http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080428082323AAcgSOw) seems to get it at 150m. A good plan with two minor flaws (a) you’d better hope you have a high-ceiling and (b) a parachute 😃 > [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Say the blue portal is on the ceiling and the orange one is on the floor to start with. Shoot the blue portal on the floor next to the orange one. Then, after you fly up out of the blue portal towards the ceiling, shoot an orange portal on the ceiling. Don’t miss! > > (Once you’ve lost enough momentum, shoot your blue portal somewhere else to avoid falling into a second infinite loop.) That does sound like it would work, though in a normal size room you would need insane reflexes to manage it! ---
**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:** [February 13, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-portal-question/612706/6 "2012-02-13T18:47:02Z")
You could put your slow-down portals just outside the room where you made the loop, someplace with a higher ceiling. And it wouldn’t work in the game, but you should be able to slow down to safety with just two floor portals, no parachute required: You’ll oscillate between the two, shooting out of one and then falling back to shoot out of the other, but eventually, air resistance would slow you down. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-portal-question/612706/7 "2012-02-15T00:12:06Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Sell tickets to it, it would be a spectacle. > > I will open a Concession stand, selling just one item. > > Cake. You lie! ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-portal-question/612706/8 "2012-02-16T16:30:26Z")
In Portal 2 you shoot your ceiling portal somewhere that would fling you into one of those transport beams. They seem to soak up all the momentum you enter them with.