UKC

How long do you reckon it would take to fall to the ground from the top of Cenotaph Corner or Right Unconquerable? This simple Splat Calculator takes the pain out of the calculation but not the conclusion!

Read more... http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: Mick, this ain't news. Newton was onto it some time ago.

In reply to Papillon:

He's right you know!!

Besides Leo Houlding has jumped off half dome and he seems to be well chipper for it (though he did have a parachute)

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

UK Bouldering has a version of the Splat Calculator that calculates the odds of losing your beanie or getting mud on your Prana jockstrap.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

is this actually funny?!

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Ok.

Why?

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: Something wrong. You don't reach a terminal velocity with this calculator.

In reply to MG:

I see it ignores friction. What would be useful to me is to know if flapping my arms and screaming like a startled chicken on the way down is of any practical benefit.

In reply to hutchm:

>"I see it ignores friction"

...which may be an important variable if falling from near the top of the Etive slabs.

In reply to JLS:

Perhaps we need to come up with an equation that calculates square millimeters of skin removed per metre of descent.

In reply to hutchm:

that would relate more to slab climbing... speaking of which on Leo's Video Diaries i was watching las tnight there is some serious skin loss going on on a font slab!

In reply to hutchm:

>"square millimeters of skin"

kgs of flesh might be more useful.

In reply to JLS:

It might be in my case. Too many mince pies, I fear.

In reply to Sharket:

>"Leo's Video Diaries i was watching"

Link? It's on the Berghaus site?

In reply to MG: Could that be due to trhe equation neglecting friction par chance?

In reply to JLS:

oh i don't know i got it off him when he was donw at cotswold hedge end doing a talk in november - i'll see if its around.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: In the photo in the link he appears to be soloing, so why the harness and quickdraws?

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Poor effort. They might at least have tried to deal with friction on slabs, air resisitance, ripped gear and bounces on ledges.

In reply to Sharket:

i can't find it anywhere sorry guys

Also, where it asks for your mass it wants it in KG's...now I'm no expert but I always thought that was your weight....isn't mass measured in Newtons?

Seems as if the climber needs some prior data to arrive at a decking velocity, as if it's meant for would-be suicide attempts, i.e.. if I jump off Pedestal route would I be sure of a dose of terminal splat ? You could hardly do the calcs 'post hoctus proc' (after the event.)
Might be a good subject to bring up in the pub though.

In reply to Wide_Mouth_Frog:

from school physics i'd "think" you got those the wrong way round, weight is the force that gravity exerts on your mass (or something like that) and as a force it would be measured in newtons, mass is measured in kilos (i'll happily stand corrected of course)

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: I see the funny side Mick. Great find.

In reply to IanJackson:

At last.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:
Having tried the splat calculator for a 10000 ft fall I would be interested in knowing how far my remains would be spread if I landed on a hard surface?

In reply to rallymania:


Nope, you're about right and (s)he's wrong.

In reply to MG:


I think you DO reach a terminal velocity, of sorts.

In reply to GrahamD: Yes i picked that fault too. After 30meter of falling you reach your terminal velocity. On average of course. So soling El Cap is the same danger of soling at Millstone? You just have more time to work out which way you want to land of The Nose. I think i would choice head first

In reply to IanJackson:


About as funny as it is useful. Now that I’ve finally stopped laughing, here’s another splat calculation by Dr Carl V Phillips.

“To summarize what I have found in the health and occupational literature, the LD50 (the "dose" (distance) that kills 50% of those who experience it) seems to be about 50 feet (from a 5th or 6th story window). The arborist industry -- among the greatest experts I would suspect -- seems to put it at about 40 feet, though the collected data suggests this is only about 25% fatal. Very few deaths seem to occur for falls less than about 30 feet (the longest one I ever took, back when I was younger), and there is very little survival at 70 feet (notwithstanding the exceptional stories in this thread).

”In other words, the dose-response curve goes from almost no mortality to almost certain mortality over the course of 40 feet.”

http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post...

In reply to GrahamD:


I dont quite think you will reach terminla velocity , however ,it most probably will be terminal .

On the plus side most people falling further than 10 feet do tend to break the sound barrier ,and this is usually resrved for planes. I'm assuming that the high pitched scream is the person breaking the sound barrier.(Or a crushed bollock if the recipiant is using a whillans harness and wearing jeans.)

The splat calculator must be one of the most important advances in modern climbing. It may , however,help increase the suicide rate though !!!!!!