How Terminal Velocity Keeps a Penny Dropped From the Top of the Empire State Building From Being Deadly

Astrophysicist Athena Brensberger of the PBS series NOVA explored the science of objects falling from great heights, including the urban myth that a penny dropped from the top of the Empire State Building could kill someone below, and explained how gravity, air resistance, and drag combine to create terminal velocity.

She also examined how physical factors such as shape and speed affect the impact of objects falling through Earth’s atmosphere, as well as how Galileo challenged Aristotle’s ideas about falling bodies.

For centuries, scientists argued about how objects fall. The answer eventually led to our modern understanding of gravity, acceleration, and drag.