This question is being asked without intending to be disrespectful. I just began to think the other day and wondered (from a physics point of view):
If the 9/11 jumpers had some an umbrella, would they have landed less violently or would it have been the same result?
I know posters here that like to study 9/11, and well, what do you people have to say about this question?
Keep this thread classy.
IIRC the fiery inferno and smoke inhalation problem was widespread far below the top floor's of the twin tower's....so im guesing the umbrella factor would be next to nill.
However,if they'd had any sense of being human beings caught in a nightmarish reality of life threatening proportions i'm sure as they did everything possible to try to survive the cir stances despite the implications.....like jumping from 90 stories without a parachute or an umbrella.
R.I.P.
It might have decreased their velocity slightly (perhaps even adding the element of terminal velocity to their acceleration?), but that velocity would still be pretty high (and fatal).
do you take it with or without Vaseline...
Maybe if your last name was Poppins.
umbrella? it would have to be a paraglider and the skill to guide it to the street without hitting other buildings.
swap the umbrella with a blanket each corner tied to a arm leg...would it change?
They would still need a tail for steering.
The umbrella would have inverted and the results would have been the same.
^This
lol OP thinking about Mary Poppins.
I love how posters here think the idea proposed is outrageous. , I'm sure the impact with the ground would have been somewhat altered.
Redzero-Give these people a chance in this scenario bro. The average umbrella used by a New Yorker that works in the WTC is not the quality of a Dollar General umbrella. The sad part about this scenario is the weather that morning was clear with no forecasts of rain, so the amount of people that might have considered taking an umbrella to work that particular morning would have been next to none, if anything.
I think a typical umbrella would collapse well before terminal velocity, hence make no change. They simply aren't strong enough for that speed.
. Nevermind. The ribs of a regular umbrella would not have been able to keep sturdy due to the pressure build up within the "cave" of the umbrella. Air would be trapped and would attempt to leave, causing serious swerving.
If only, if only.
If the person jumping had an amazing umbrella made out of anium and some sort of synthetic-parachute material, and had said umbrella fastened to their wrist somehow, then yes, it may have SOME effect. Still, probably not enough to save their life (consider the size of a parachute, which is much much bigger than an umbrella, and still leaves you hitting the ground at a rate similar to jumping off a couple of stories).
However, like others have said, even a high-dollar umbrella isn't going to stand up to the wind generated by a terminal velocity drop. Either the hinges would buckle, the material would rip, or the force would be so great that there is no way the person would be able to hold on to it.
I've had enough umbrellas turn inside out simply by the wind of a stormy day to tell you that there is no way in this would work outside of the Disney universe.
Welcome to the Wile E. Coyote school of physics. The resulting difference would be similar to the difference between jelly and preserves.
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