31 Foot Fall: How Fast Would you hit the Ground?

Most recent answer: 03/12/2011

Q:
I slipped off a roof 31 feet high, I was wondering the speed I was falling when I the ground. I landed on my feet,if that makes an difrference.
- mike (age 40)
Wyandotte, MI,USA
A:
Dear Mike,

I hope you're alright! Well, neglecting air resistance and assuming you didn't leap up (or down) and simply fell, you were going about 44 ft/s or 30 miles an hour when you hit the ground. The fact that you landed on your feet probably helped by slowing the fall a little bit before the rest of you hit the ground. Ouch.

Hope that answers your question!

John

p.s. You're sure this happened in real life and not homework space? Mike W.

(published on 03/12/2011)