Name______________________________
Date_____________ Core_____
Mythbusters: Penny Drop
BEFORE watching the video, answer the following questions:
1. Do you think a penny dropped from the Empire State Building could kill a pedestrian standing on the street
below? Explain.
2. What information would you need to know, in order to figure out this problem?
WHILE watching the video, answer the following questions:
3. What causes it to rain and snow “up” at the Empire State Building? Explain how this effect could also
influence the penny drop.
4. What is the height of the Empire State Building?
5. What is the terminal velocity of a penny?
6. How did they determine the terminal velocity of the penny?
7. What do they use to fire a penny at its terminal velocity?
8. Why don’t most coins thrown from the Empire State Building make it to the ground?
9. Can a coin at terminal velocity:
a. Crack asphalt? _________________________
b. Crack concrete? _________________________
c. Crack a human skull? _________________________
d. Bruise or break skin? _________________________
10. What is the mass of a penny? _________________________
11. Based on the evidence presented by the Myth Busters Team, can a penny crack the sidewalk? Explain.