The video explores the myth that a penny dropped from the Empire State Building can kill someone. The host, Derek, drops pennies from a helicopter onto Adam Savage, who is standing below. The experiment shows that the pennies do not cause significant harm, and the terminal velocity of a penny is around 80 km/h.
The video then delves into the concept of terminal velocity and how it is affected by air resistance. It explains that the terminal velocity of an object depends on its weight, shape, and size. The host also discusses the concept of drag coefficient and how it affects the terminal velocity of different objects.
The video then explores other projectiles, such as pens and bullets, and how they behave when dropped from a height. The host also discusses the dangers of falling objects in civilian life, including the risk of being struck by a falling icicle or a loose tile.
The video concludes by stating that objects that weigh more than a few hundred grams and are not aerodynamic can be deadly when traveling at terminal velocity. The host also promotes the learning platform Brilliant, which offers interactive STEM courses.
Overall, the video provides an engaging and informative exploration of the physics of falling objects and the concept of terminal velocity.
Here are the facts:
1. The Empire State Building is 443 meters tall.
2. A penny weighs about 2.5 grams.
3. If you ignore air resistance, a penny dropped from the Empire State Building would accelerate to over 300 kilometers per hour by the time it hits the ground.
4. This speed is about half as fast as a typical bullet.
5. The MythBusters made contraptions to shoot pennies at each other.
6. Stephen Colbert shot Adam Savage with a penny contraption.
7. The terminal velocity of a penny is about 80 kilometers per hour.
8. The terminal velocity of a raindrop is about 25 kilometers per hour.
9. Hail can reach terminal velocities of over 200 kilometers per hour.
10. The terminal velocity of an object depends on its weight and air resistance.
11. The drag coefficient is a dimensionless number that captures the dependence of air resistance on the shape of an object.
12. The drag coefficient of a sphere is 0.5.
13. The drag coefficient of a modern bullet is between 0.1 and 0.3.
14. Bullets can fall from the sky and cause damage if they are fired at a shallow angle.
15. Fléchettes are small metal projectiles that were dropped from planes during World War I.
16. Fléchettes were up to 15 centimeters long and weighed about the same as a standard pub dart.
17. The US created similar weapons called Lazy Dogs, which were used in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
18. Nearly 700 Americans die each year from being struck by a falling object.
19. The lower limit of the energy required to fracture a human skull is around 68 Joules.
20. A raindrop at terminal velocity has only 1/2000th of a Joule of energy.
21. A falling penny has about 1/5th of a Joule of energy.
22. A baseball and the largest hailstone measured can deliver more than 80 Joules of energy.
23. The energy stored in a falling Flechette is not enough to crack a skull, but it can apply a large force to a small area.