# Would a mouse live if dropped from the Empire State Building?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 25, 2002, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949 "2002-03-25T03:49:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Kevin\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevin_H)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/1 "2002-03-25T03:49:33Z")
My friend says that if a mouse is dropped from the Empire State Building, its terminal velocity will be such that it will not die when it hits the ground.
Of course, this sounds highly suspect, but he claims that he saw it in a paper written by his former High School physics teacher.
So do you any of you know the real story?
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/2 "2002-03-25T03:52:21Z")
Since mice don’t weigh a lot, it’s possible that it could live depending on how it lands and what it lands on. I’m sure you have to factor in air resistance and such.
I don’t care to find out for myself, though.
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### Author:  [@Nonny\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonny_Mouse)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/3 "2002-03-25T04:04:59Z")
I find this line of speculation barbaric.
THERE HAD BETTER BE NO MOUSE DROPPINGS ON THIS MESSAGE BOARD!
Nonny “that didn’t come out right…” Mouse
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/4 "2002-03-25T04:08:01Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Nonny Mouse \*
> \*\*I find this line of speculation barbaric.
>
> THERE HAD BETTER BE NO MOUSE DROPPINGS ON THIS MESSAGE BOARD!
>
> Nonny “that didn’t come out right…” Mouse \*\*
How much do you weigh? 😃
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### Author:  [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/5 "2002-03-25T04:13:01Z")
If dropped from the top of the Empire State Building the mouse will not hit the ground.
It will hit the 72nd floor balcony.
The friend of Kevin may be correct on a technicality.
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### Author:  [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/6 "2002-03-25T04:20:18Z")
Well, I don’t know the answer either, but I’ll bet the mouse has achieved terminal velocity well before getting to the 72nd floor.
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### Author:  [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/7 "2002-03-25T04:35:14Z")
Okay, then I’ll hedge my bet.
It’s not a windy day.
Let’s say the mouse only makes it to the 86th floor Observation Deck.
Now apply the old rule of acceleration (I think it’s 33 feet per second per second).
Somehow I still feel we have a squished mouse.
But it didn’t reach the ground.
That’s the point.
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### Author:  [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/8 "2002-03-25T05:04:24Z")
I guess it all depends on the terminal velocity of a mouse. I imagine it’s a lot lower than for a human, as they have a lot of surface area compared to their weight.
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/9 "2002-03-25T05:21:53Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Doug Bowe \*
> \*\*It will hit the 72nd floor balcony. The friend of Kevin may be correct on a technicality. \*\*
If you want to call on technicalities, the OP just said “from the Empire State Building” but did not specify which floor.
Anyway Cecil did[an article](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_190.html) about falling cats which says cats may be able to survive impact at terminal velocity. (No that’s not a contradiction of terms.) The terminal velocity of a mouse would be lower, but mice don’t have the dexterity of cats so I’m not sure what would happen.
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/10 "2002-03-25T05:30:57Z")
[This site](http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/PSEUDOSC/HalfaWing.HTM) explains terminal velocity and drag to conclude
> [@](#):
>
> In other words, in proportion to its size, a rat encounters ten times as much air resistance. Small organisms encounter such large air resistance that they can easily survive a fall that would kill a human.
Several places make references to a mouse falling 1000 feet down a mineshaft and surviving if the floor is soft.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/11 "2002-03-25T05:31:08Z")
[Falling damage](http://lists.dumpshock.com/pipermail/shadowrn/Week-of-Mon-20001127/040303.html)
> [@](#):
>
> A plus 50% size increas in all directions also results in a 337.5% increase in mass / weight. While drag is proportionate to surface area, the hypothetical trolls terminal velocity will still be HIGHER, not lower. This holds obviously true in life- a bug is blown away easily in a wind (and has a low termial velocity), but an elephant is not. Generally speaking, a mouse can survive impact at terminal velocity unharmed, a cat breaks many bones but might survive, a human dies in mostly one piece, and a horse “splashes” on impact if it falls far enough to reach termial velocity
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### Author:  [@kryptonite2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kryptonite2)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/12 "2002-03-25T05:51:27Z")
regarding the dexterity of mice: if you toss one into the air, it will do some kind of propeller thing with its tail while midair. some kind of stabilization mechanism would be my guess…
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### Author:  [@Bromley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bromley)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/13 "2002-03-25T06:53:55Z")
Or the mouse equivalent of “ohshitohshitohshit” :).
\
I couldn’t do it to them, they’re just too cute.
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### Author:  [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/14 "2002-03-25T11:50:22Z")
If you throw a mouse as hard as you can at a brick wall I’m sure it will suffer at least some injuries, and possibly be killed. The question is, is it’s terminal velocity more or less than the speed you can throw it at?
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/15 "2002-03-25T12:41:50Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Niobium Knight \*
> \*\*If you throw a mouse as hard as you can at a brick wall I’m sure it will suffer at least some injuries, and possibly be killed. The question is, is it’s terminal velocity more or less than the speed you can throw it at? \*\*
PLEASE don’t anybody try that just to see if it’s true.
Yes, terminal velocity is that which the accelerating force of gravity is able to produce against the resistance of air; apply a greater force (with your arm, by throwing) and you can accelerate an object to a greater velocity, but given enough time it would decelerate back down to terminal velocity (obviously this doesn’t have time to happen if it hits the wall).
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### Author:  [@Nonny\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonny_Mouse)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/16 "2002-03-25T15:47:54Z")
Okay, now you’re just getting sick. There will be no dropping of mice. There will be no throwing of mice. If you persist in this disgusting line of inquiry I will have no choice to send my finest legions to chew through your power cords and defecate on your keyboards.
But if you want to drop a horse in order to check out the splat radius I’m game.
Nonny
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### Author:  [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/17 "2002-03-25T18:08:55Z")
I’ve seen a squirrel fall out of a 30-ft tree, but I didn’t see if it survived. My friend had a squirrel land at her feet after falling out of a tree, and it got up and scampered off. Mice are a lot smaller and so have even smaller terminal velocity, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they could survive such a fall. Above the height it takes to reach terminal velocity, the height of the fall doesn’t matter at all, so well or skyscraper, the mouse is fine.
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### Author:  [@ModernRonin2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ModernRonin2)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/18 "2002-03-25T18:39:25Z")
Without actually dropping mice, is there any way we can get some kind of estimate of what the terminal velocity of a falling mouse is? I mean, there’s gotta be some kind of physics formula(s) that can determine V[sub]t[/sub] from weight and surface area. We’ll have to make some pretty crazy assumptions (like, “the mouse is approximately spherical” :D) but we can at least get a ballpark number…
-Ben
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### Author:  [@Stinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinky)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/19 "2002-03-25T18:53:15Z")
Mice survive being droped just fine. It’s the landing that’s in question.😃
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### Author:  [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-mouse-live-if-dropped-from-the-empire-state-building/99949/20 "2002-03-25T19:08:45Z")
OK, here goes (pardon my (lack of)html):
terminal speed = sqrt(mg/c)
g = 9.8 m/s^2
c = 0.22 D^2, assuming a spherical mouse (gosh, I’ve always wanted to say that!) where D = diameter of mouse = 4 cm, say?
m = mass of mouse… hm… Nonny, how much do you weigh? Say 100g = 0.1 kg
so terminal speed = 50 m/s. That seems fast - over 100 mph! Splat city (sorry, Nonny). Did I do something wrong?
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