If you were in a falling elevator and wanted to minimize the impact of the crash landing, would jumping inside the elevator just before impact help you?
by 
Jack Scotty
ANSWERS: 17
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It all depends how fast the elevator is going and how well you can jump. If you were on a train doing 100 mph and you ran from the front to the back as fast as you could run - and jumped off - you would almost certainly die (becuase the 30mph you might reach would only decrease your overall momentum down to 70mph. It would be similar for the lift falling, as it drops it accelerates, and just say its going very fast. You can try jumping up - but you would only decrease the momentum by the speed at which you can jump up - which would be negligible. Im too lazy to figure it out - but Newtons Laws state that V*V = U*U + 2AS.... V=Final velocity U=Initial Velocity (0 in this case) A=Acceleration due to gravity - use 10m/sec/sec for simplicity) S=Distance travelled Jump in the air and time how long it takes you and you can figure out how fast you are jumping up. You can use the equation to figure out your final velocity going down - calculate the difference and if the final result is above 30MPH - dont fancy your chances.
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This was covered in the show 'Mythbusters'. Jumping will only slow you down by approx. 1-2 mph, not enough to reduce the damage to your body. This is presuming that you can predict the moment of impact within one second or less. Enough said!
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If you stand on a falling object, and jump just before the object hits the ground, then you would have a slightly softer landing. But not that much: If the object is much heavier than you, the reduction in your speed will be almost the speed you attain in a standing jump. This will have the same effect as if you reduce your fall height by the highest distance you can jump. The world record jump from a standing start is about three feet. If the object is lighter than you, then more then half of your jump will go into speeding up the object you are standing on.
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Depends on your time of elevation and time of landing. This is so since according to physics when you exert a force there is an equal and opposite force, so the force that you will receive if youre standing at the time of impact will be due to the elevator slamming on the floor, so it follows if youre in the air when the elevator makes the impact you will not feel the opposite reaction that the floor exerts on the elevator the same as if you were just standing there waiting for the impact.
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No. When the elevator is falling at lets say 100 km/h, and you were to jump up at around 5km/h, your net speed downwards would be 95km/h. You would not be weightless as the lift will reach terminal velocity after a while, though initially you will be weighless as the lift is accelerating downwards. The best thing you can do is to spread out the force by the impact, as damage to your internal organs is caused by the sudden deceleration of the impact.
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Only if you were an animated cartoon character.
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mushroom "Lucky for me this thing has air brakes."
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Going that fast, out of control in an elevator, how would you know when to jump? you cannot see the bottom of the elevator shaft, from inside the elevator. I say no. your only hope would be the springs located on the floor of the elevator shaft. upon impact, the springs would bounce you up to at least the 2nd or 3rd floor. Do we need seat belts in elevators??
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If you jump just before the elevator hits the ground, then you would have a slightly softer landing. But not that much: The reduction in your speed will be pretty much the speed you attain in a standing jump. The world record jump from a standing start is about three feet. So if you're falling one or two floors and timed it just right it might make a lttle bit of difference, but then you'd probably survive anyway. EDIT for C.D.Bone: If the elevator fell at 80mph and you jumped at 80mph you'd be fine if the elevator survived... but if you could jump at 80mph you could reach a height of 215 feet. But you can't. The world record for jumping from a standing start is about 3 feet. This corresponds to a speed of about 9.5 mph. When you hit the ground, even if you timed it right, you would be travelling at a minimum of 70.5mph. But having redone the calculations it does seem that you can make a big dent in the energy of collision. For instance, by jumping at the last minute you can reduce the energy of a 24 foot fall to one of ten feet.
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No you cant. Since you will be travelling with the elevator the entire way, you could not jump away from the fall to save yourself. Best advice, take the stairs!
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It would be worth a try. You don't have anything else to do at the moment, do you? The tricky part is it only works on glass elevators where you can see your descent to the bottom. It is just as effective as jumping up before an airplane crash so you don't feel the impact. That's why they don't put parachutes on airplanes. Everyone is instructed to jump up at the last minute to lighten the load. And carrying a four leaf clover never hurts either.
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This was on Mythbusters, it doesn't work because you can't jump fast enough to counteract the speed that the elevator is falling.
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The way to survie a falling elevator is not to JUMP at the last second, But to lay flat on your belly and put you hands over your head. laying down spreads the (blow) from the impact throughout the body instead of one area such as your feet which would break them. Although in an everyday you not going to be in an elevator crash, all elevator are made with safty wedges which stop the elevator from falling. And elevators have 8 cables not just one! So if one snaps the elevator will stop on the next floor and will shurt off-course letting its passangers off first. But to hold one up it only takes one cable! To check this out type in how an elevator works! -Sara B.
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No. Do not try this at home. You will die.
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No. You should probably try to stand with your knees slightly bent and tensed for impact. It might allow your legs to take the majority of the damage and leave the rest of you alive. If the elevator is free-falling, you won't be able to jump much. Besides, you won't be able to tell when you've reached the bottom. Better still, if there's other people inside the elevator, make for the fattest person you can find and try to get above them somehow.
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It depends on if the elevator can "bounce" or not. If the elevator can bounce off the ground after it lands, then all the momentum you transfer to the elevator could hypothetically come back to you later on (the elevator would smash into you upwards). However, if the elevator "sticks" to the ground, then jumping would help somewhat, but not enough to save you from a huge fall.
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You are actually suppose to lay down on the ground to survive an elevator fall.
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It won't in practice because your legs won't be able to generate enough force. BUT in theory it will certainly help minimize (even if a little) the impact because by jumping you have effectively slowed the speed at which you are falling!
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