If you jump off a bridge 50m above the water does the water need to be 50m deep?

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The discussion centers on the physics of jumping from a height, specifically how deep water needs to be to safely accommodate a fall from 50 meters. Key points include the importance of body orientation upon impact, as hitting the water flat can cause severe injury, while entering feet first can allow for deeper penetration. The conversation also highlights that the impact force is related to the speed of entry, which increases with height, and that water resistance plays a significant role in slowing the diver. Additionally, the depth of water needed varies based on the diver's technique and the conditions of the water surface. Overall, jumping from such heights poses serious risks, and careful consideration of technique and water depth is crucial for safety.
  • #31
Jeff Reid said:
It's a visual thing...

Maybe I'm wrong then about the surface tension being broken by bubbles or choppy water or whatever.
 
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  • #32
tony873004 said:
Maybe I'm wrong then about the surface tension being broken by bubbles or choppy water or whatever.
I don't thing surface tension is a big factor. As another factor, it would take a tremendous amount of bubbles to reduce the effective density, as mentioned in another discussion regarding if a boat's water line would be affected by going over a bubbly section of water. I wonder if diving inside the water of a water fall would help (like the cases of barrels over Niagra Falls).
 
  • #33
Here's a link confirming what you said about spraying water:
http://juniorengineering.usu.edu/workshops/water/water.php
Another way to reduce surface tension is through physical means. If you have ever done a belly flop off the diving board you should be quite familiar with how water's surface tension effected you. Platform divers feel the same sting even when they land properly. To help reduce surface tension, a hose with a nozzle is positioned to spray water into the pool at the spot where the diver enters the water.
 
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  • #34
Jeff Reid said:
... as mentioned in another discussion regarding if a boat's water line would be affected by going over a bubbly section of water. I wonder if diving inside the water of a water fall would help (like the cases of barrels over Niagra Falls).

I saw a Discovery Channel, or maybe it was Nova episode on why large ships sink, and one theory was giant bubbles that altered the water's buoyancy.

Re: Niagra Falls, I would imagine it would have to help. Is the surface even clearly defined at the bottom of a waterfall? There's got to be a reason the barrel riders choose Niagra, rather than a tall cliff into a lake.
 
  • #35
Bubbles of methane?
 
  • #36
methane?


you don't mean 'landfill' or 'ocean/river' bottom methane, do you?
 
  • #37
I heard (must have been on the Discovery Channel) a theory that ships in the Bermuda triangle were sunk by large outgassing of methane due to an underwater landslide. Maybe "ocean bottom" methane.
 
  • #39
Oct. 2007 Physics Today happens to have a related article (not about sinking ships, but gas storage) "Clathrate hydrates under pressure."
 
  • #40
Loren Booda said:
I heard (must have been on the Discovery Channel) a theory that ships in the Bermuda triangle were sunk by large outgassing of methane due to an underwater landslide. Maybe "ocean bottom" methane.

ahhhh, it's from all those bean-eating Atlanteans still living down there---
 
  • #41
If i drop a rock off this bridge approximately how long should it take to hit the water if it is 10-15m below?
 
  • #42
JimmyJockstrap said:
If i drop a rock off this bridge approximately how long should it take to hit the water if it is 10-15m below?

you got to do your physics. do you know what the relevant equations are?

like

d = \frac{1}{2}a t^2
 

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