Good thread.
Hypotheticals: what if someone who weighs 50 kg (120 lbs), body length 1.80 metres/about 6 feet) jumps from 100 metres ? Let's assume things don't go ideal, possibly even the survival instinct may kick in. Let's assume a fall with the body in horizontal position, so that weight is (sort of) divided over the 1.8 metres. 50 kg and 1 meters is not the same as 50 kg and a length of 2 meters.
QUESTION: With what speed would that person fall to earth ? Can anyone do the calculation ? Or an estimate, based on what ?
I'm trying to figure this out from a 'worst case' scenario. In the article above 'On the other hand, if you stop suddenly from 200 km/hr over a distance of a few centimetres, everything in your body effectively weighs 7,500 times more than normal. Your 1.5 kg brain briefly weighs 10 tonnes. In that brief instant, cells are burst open and blood vessels are torn asunder.' would the <bold> occur ?
I know that survival instinct may kick in, one may reflexively stretch arms and legs to break the fall. And there may be a side wind etc.
Caution about worst case scenario. You don't want to end up a paraplegic and survive with permanent brain damage !
Dying by accident is often easy, suicides tend to fail. I guess very old or very sick people are more likely to die because they are closer to death anyway. I know that many people survive planned suicides ... I prefer paranoia/