# Would a 10 meter/32 feet drop kill and would it render someone unconscious in the first 1 minute?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-10-meter-32-feet-drop-kill-and-would-it-render-someone-unconscious-in-the-first-1-minute/681980>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 22, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-10-meter-32-feet-drop-kill-and-would-it-render-someone-unconscious-in-the-first-1-minute/681980 "2014-02-22T22:43:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-10-meter-32-feet-drop-kill-and-would-it-render-someone-unconscious-in-the-first-1-minute/681980/41 "2014-02-25T07:54:12Z")

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> [@Mijin](#):
>
> Is the “inverse question” really like-for-like here? There’s a big difference between being crushed between two solid surfaces and striking a single solid surface. In the latter case there are more ways for the energy to dissipate.  
> Especially when we’re consider more realistic scenarios than dropping directly on to the top of your head, with no attempt to brace yourself.

I guess I was figuring that you would simply thing about the trauma to the head, but indeed, once the shock reaches your feet it ceases to be a symmetric case, and then gets even grimmer very quickly.

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**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-10-meter-32-feet-drop-kill-and-would-it-render-someone-unconscious-in-the-first-1-minute/681980/42 "2014-02-25T07:56:07Z")

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> [@Ayatollah Yawuntz](#):
>
> So?

Nietzsche was the originator, but you get all these silly IIDKYIWMYS quotes that really just don’t get it. So indeed, it is now almost totally stupid. It wasn’t once. Your point was well made.

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**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-10-meter-32-feet-drop-kill-and-would-it-render-someone-unconscious-in-the-first-1-minute/681980/43 "2014-02-25T08:13:11Z")

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Thanks. It came to me while I was recovering from the flu. Thus endeth my hijack. Oh, except it was a perfectly good misquote 🙂

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