Gravity?

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Well, I sort of thought of that and tried to come up with two items that wouldn't have a lot of difference in "drag."
So my original question was to see if mass changes the action of gravity, and I'm guessing the answer is no?

Correct.

Actually the answer "no" is incorrect.

Mass is a component of the Terminal Velocity formula and changes in mass change the terminal velocity or in other words the speed at which an object falls through Earth's atmosphere assuming standard gravitational pull.

Other factors include air density, drag coefficient, and area.
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.WW

Okay. If I drop two identically shaped but different weight objects off the top of the Empire State Building at exactly the same time, the air density will be the same and the area is the same. The only difference would be drag, but if the items are identically shaped, there shouldn't be any difference in drag either.

But the force of gravity will be greater on the object that weighs the most. So more force to overcome the drag means that object falls faster.

Nope.

 

[eagle1462010]

I heard a penny dropped from the top of the Empire State Building could kill someone. You think that's true?

Nearly impossible. The terminal velocity of a penny is too low. I can literally throw a penny, over a short distance, faster than a penny's terminal velocity, if I release it correctly.

Do you think you could kill someone by throwing a penny at them? Probably not.

It turns out, pennies have a pretty low terminal velocity (just a bit faster than a ping-pong ball, which has a terminal velocity of around 20-ish mph). In open air, with no real updraft or breeze, a penny's terminal velocity is going to be around 30-50 miles per hour.Oct 27, 2010

20 to 50 mph given conditions..........as I said......if it hits the right place it could kill you.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Well, I sort of thought of that and tried to come up with two items that wouldn't have a lot of difference in "drag."
So my original question was to see if mass changes the action of gravity, and I'm guessing the answer is no?

Correct.

Actually the answer "no" is incorrect.

Mass is a component of the Terminal Velocity formula and changes in mass change the terminal velocity or in other words the speed at which an object falls through Earth's atmosphere assuming standard gravitational pull.

Other factors include air density, drag coefficient, and area.
.
.
.
.WW

Okay. If I drop two identically shaped but different weight objects off the top of the Empire State Building at exactly the same time, the air density will be the same and the area is the same. The only difference would be drag, but if the items are identically shaped, there shouldn't be any difference in drag either.

But the force of gravity will be greater on the object that weighs the most. So more force to overcome the drag means that object falls faster.

Nope.

All else being equal, like shape? He is correct.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

if it hits the right place it could kill you.

And what place would that be? Where on your body could I throw a penny and kill you?

It's a bit of a stretch. Maybe not "impossible", but a stretch.

 

[JoeMoma]

So the reason I asked the question was that I vaguely remembered hearing, way back when I was in high school, that if you dropped a bowling ball and a penny from the top of the Empire State Building they would both land at the same time. We had all predicted, of course, that the bowling ball would land first.

So it sounds like that teacher was wrong. Or the kid that repeated it from the teacher, because they never let me take physics. Not good enough at math.

Usually the high school physics problems about falling objects disregards air friction to make the math easier.

 

[eagle1462010]

if it hits the right place it could kill you.

And what place would that be? Where on your body could I throw a penny and kill you?

It's a bit of a stretch.

Temple..........perfect shot......could kill you.......

I got hit by a 3/8\s by 1 and 1/2 bolt on the shoulder......from about 60 feet and it bruised my shoulder..........While that has more mass.........it still left a mark.........

Guy was sweeping trash off an LHD Catwalk.........with people below.........He hid well because about 6 of us were looking for him...........It rained small metal on us.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Temple..........perfect shot......could kill you.......

How? How would the force imparted by a thrown penny on your temple...kill someone? Sorry, not seeing it. That would be some amazingly bad luck.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

I got hit by a 3/8\s by 1 and 1/2 bolt on the shoulder......from about 60 feet and it bruised my shoulder.

That bolt has about 30-40 times the mass of a penny, and a higher terminal velocity. Not a good comparison.

Correction: low end, about 15 times the mass of a penny.

 

[eagle1462010]

Temple..........perfect shot......could kill you.......

How? How would the force imparted by a thrown penny on your temple...kill someone? Sorry, not seeing it. That would be some amazingly bad luck.

Anything is possible.
Stop Underestimating the Dangers of Dropped Objects

In another example, in New Jersey, a man delivering sheet rock was killed by a dropped tape measure on a construction site. The victim, an independent contractor for a trucking company, was leaning into a car window to speak with someone and when he pulled his head out, he was struck by a tape measure that was dropped by a worker from 50 stories above. The 1-pound tape measure ricocheted off construction equipment about 10 feet above the ground and hit the trucker on the side of the head. Although he was not wearing a hardhat, it is not clear whether that would have saved him, given that the object deflected off a piece of equipment near the ground before striking him.

 

[JoeMoma]

The falling penny could startle someone causing him to trip and fall, hitting his head on a rock.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Anything is possible.

So then, you are also in danger of the building tipping over on you, heh heh

 

[eagle1462010]

‘It’s a serious problem’: Cost of dropped objects include fatalities, injuries

In 2016, dropped objects resulted in 255 worker fatalities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The issue is one of OSHA’s “Fatal Four” causes of construction deaths, accounting for 9.4% of fatal injuries in the industry.

The number of nonfatal falling object-related injuries reported in 2016 was 47,920. Dropped objects, according to BLS data, is the third-leading cause of injuries on jobsites and not only results in worker fatalities and injuries, but damage to equipment, structures and the environment as well.

 

[eagle1462010]

Anything is possible.

So then, you are also in danger of the building tipping over on you, heh heh

I say anything is possible...............given the right conditions and wear it hits...........

Most need more mass to do the damage as we discussed................so.......why don't you get someone to drive 40 mph and throw a penny out the window and let it hit you in the face to see if it can do you harm..........

Up to you........but I'm not doing it.

 

[JoeMoma]

According to one article I read, the terminal velocity of a penny is 25 mph.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

why don't you get someone to drive 40 mph and throw a penny out the window and let it hit you in the face to see if it can do you harm..........

No need, I can throw a penny faster than 40 mph, from a standing position, at my own face.

"Harm" and"death" are not the same. Stop the bait and switch.

 

[eagle1462010]

Accident Report Detail | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Ceiling tile ...employee goes to hospital........LOL

Best one I've found so far.......

 

[CWayne]

If you drop a man's wristwatch and a piece of bubblegum from the top of the Empire State Building at exactly the same time, which one hits the ground first?

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

According to one article I read, the terminal velocity of a penny is 25 mph.

Which is about the velocity of a baseball, lobbed underhand, the way you would to a small child.

WHY ARE WE TRYING TO KILL THE CHILDREN?!?!

 

[Yarddog]

Temple..........perfect shot......could kill you.......

How? How would the force imparted by a thrown penny on your temple...kill someone? Sorry, not seeing it. That would be some amazingly bad luck.

I would agree it would be extremely unlikely but.... still not a good idea to throw a penny from that hight in a populated area. it could kill someone indirectly or just cause problems.

say the penny strikes the hand of a bicyclist, startled perhaps he loses control and veers into the path of a bus, or just crashes.

or perhaps the penny strikes the windshield of a car also driving at a good speed, it might possibly crack the windshield and being a distraction at the wrong time, there might be a bad consequence.

It might be able to take out a pigeon straight away, which wouldn't be a big loss, but what if it fell in someone's Falafel? it would be pretty awful.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Temple..........perfect shot......could kill you.......

How? How would the force imparted by a thrown penny on your temple...kill someone? Sorry, not seeing it. That would be some amazingly bad luck.

I would agree it would be extremely unlikely but.... still not a good idea to throw a penny from that hight in a populated area. it could kill someone indirectly or just cause problems.

say the penny strikes the hand of a bicyclist, startled perhaps he loses control and veers into the path of a bus, or just crashes.

or perhaps the penny strikes the windshield of a car also driving at a good speed, it might possibly crack the windshield and being a distraction at the wrong time, there might be a bad consequence.

It might be able to take out a pigeon straight away, which wouldn't be a big loss, but what if it fell in someone's Falafel? it would be pretty awful.

Ha, well yeah...