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A long time ago I had this discussion with some people if throwing a coin of a building is dangerous (potentially deadly) if it hits someone. The height of the building should be skyscraper-like so the coin could reach 'terminal velocity'.

From the material most coins are made up it is pretty obvious that it should be dangerous, but from its shape I assumed that it might not fall straight down but to start gliding somewhat like paper, but not as wobbly of course.

Is there any info available on this?

Baarn
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  • I think it is dangerous (the terminal velocity is likely to be high), but I am not aware of any experimental data. For me the closest known situation is: http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/610/can-bullets-fired-into-the-air-kill-a-person-when-they-fall – Suma Jan 05 '12 at 11:34
  • [MythBusters say "NO"](http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-penny-drop-minimyth.html) – Oliver_C Jan 05 '12 at 11:36
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    Mythbusters say not deadly, but this is definitely dangerous, as it would be if you throw a coin at someone in the street. – Rory Alsop Jan 05 '12 at 13:15
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    @Suma: I've seen that question, but bullets are very aerodynamic, rotate and built to penetrate skin and bones. – Baarn Jan 05 '12 at 13:40
  • @Oliver_C: Thanks have not seen that episode. – Baarn Jan 05 '12 at 13:40
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    The notability of this question has been challenged. It is such a common myth, I never felt the need to establish the notability. [JayPinkerton.com](http://jaypinkerton.com/myths/myths3.html) not only evaluates the claim, but claims it to be notable: "Ask any child on the playground and odds are they've heard the one about the penny dropped from the top of the Empire State Building — the penny that fell with such velocity it went right through someone, killing them instantly." – Oddthinking Feb 01 '12 at 13:36

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These guys measured a penny's terminal velocity: A Penny in Free Fall There are several ways a penny can fall, so they report terminal velocities in the range of 20-45 mph (9-20 m/s). That's fast enough to put an eye out. Copper pennies, pre 1982, fall faster than post 1982, zinc pennies.

[...] a penny falling at terminal velocity will not kill a person. After reviewing the table of terminal velocities, a penny may fall faster than a Ping-Pong ball, but certainly not any faster than a basketball. These terminal velocities convert to about 20-45 mph (32-72 km/h). This may cause a bit of a sting, but it is not going to kill a person.

user unknown
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    The Mythbuster video came to the same conclusion, assuming even higher terminal velocities (up to 55mph). So I think this answer is what I can accept. Thanks. – Baarn Jan 05 '12 at 14:04
  • I think this is even better than Mythbusters, as they seem not to have measure a terminal velocity, only replicate its effect. (I did not understand from watching the episode how they obtained the 55 mph value. Did they explain?) – Suma Jan 05 '12 at 15:52
  • they used a vertical windtunnel IIRC – ratchet freak Jan 05 '12 at 18:21
  • From watching the link provided below my question, I thought they just calculated the speed for coins falling 'flat' and 'straight'. – Baarn Jan 05 '12 at 18:28
  • This is wonderful; my dad has always related a story of a friend of his who used to work on very high equipment for building construction and said if a penny was dropped, it would dent the concrete below. – Hendy Jan 07 '12 at 14:34
  • Nowhere in the question do I see the coin has to be a penny. Given the serious differences in density and mass, I would assume the results (terminal velocity and impact force) would be wildly different for any other coins (say: a quarter). – Dave Apr 03 '12 at 00:35