Dude yer full a shit. You are telling us that a 70kg basejumper with a chute will fall off of El cap at the same speed as a 70kg pig w/ no chute. You seem to be trying to tell us that areo dynamics do not mean anything.....
No "dude"- the issue is your comprehension. My initial response was with respect to the velocity at which this man hit mother earth. My response:
"It's kinematics. Fundamental equation is: Velocity final (squared) = Velocity initial (squared) + 2 (acceleration)(distance). In this tragedy, his initial velocity was 0. Acceleration due to gravity is either 32ft/secsec or 9.8m/secsec- take your pick. If he fell 230 ft, he was therefore going, about 86ft/sec or 58.6 mph."
The assinine non-scientific incorrect response:
"Overly simplistic although typical Physics 101 answer. Ignores (air) resistence which is related to surface area and weight. At 230 feet this will be a significant factor - remember the feather, the cannonball and the vaccum. Thus the whole concept of TERMINAL velocity. Which varies with elevation (atmospheric density)."
My response to the assinine response:
"Sorry Eric, but you'd be wrong. First off, air resistance has NOTHING to do with weight. Surface area does have some effect, but is negligible. Take two dissimilar shaped objects of different weight, drop them off a bridge, they'll hit the ground at the same time. I have know idea what the mean by the feather etc. You are correct that terminal velocity varies greatly with atmospheric pressure (hence density). The difference between the atmospheric pressure in Yosemite Valley and sea level would effect the kinematic equation very little. Jump out of a plane in the earth's upper reaches of the atmosphere, and you've got a point."
The next ill informed response:
"It's clear that you have "know" idea. "No" idea either
. Classic example in Newtonian physics is dropping an equal weigh of feathers vs. lead in a vacuum or in the atmosphere. Goggle can help you know things. Surface area is far from negligible in the real world."
Let me get out the crayons and make this as simple as possible. If there was no atmosphere, a free falling body of any shape/any mass in outer space traveling at velocity V, enters the gravitational field of the earth and accelerates at a constant rate. It will hit the earth at: (time for the crayons) Velocity final (squared) = Velocity initial (squared) + 2 (acceleration)(distance). The only thing "air resistance" does is provide a limit. Closer to earth, the air is more dense so an object reaches it's terminal velocity at a slower speed than if the air is less dense. FACT IS- a man that falls 240 ft off a cliff in Yosemite Valley is still accelerating due to gravity and HAS NOT reached the limit that the air resistance provides.
Classic Galileo kinematics describes what physically happens in this case quite accurately.
If you don't know what the hell you're talking about, usually better to keep the trap shut. Just sayin'.
