So if you time it perfectly, the elevator would hit the floor but since you were in the air, you don’t feel the pressure of the landing. And then you wouldn’t get injured, right?
In: Physics
Others have talked about how your speed change would be minimal but there is another reason jumping would make things worse.
At the bottom of the elevator shaft there are shock absorbers. These make the transition from full speed to zero spread out over time. Without the shock absorbers, the elevator (and you) would go from 100 mph (or whatever) to zero in let’s say a millisecond – that’s around 5000g’s, which would kill you. If that deceleration is spread over a second, it’s only 5 g’s which is much more survivable. (I made up the numbers but the principal is sound).
If you jump before hitting the ground, you lose the benefit of the shock absorbers. The elevator comes to a stop and then you hit it all in one go.
This is the same reason, by the way, that it is important to attach car baby seats tightly, and tighten the belts around the baby snugly – in case of a crash, you want the “gradual” slowdown provided by the car’s crumple zones to be transferred to the baby.
Latest Answers