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StealthSilver
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"The Fugitive" Dam Scene - Could Harrison Ford actually survive?
For my mechanics class, I've been tasked with "debunking" an example of bad physics from a movie. Alternatively, I can prove what appears to be an example of bad physics from a movie, but is actually good physics. The teacher wanted us to submit our movie ideas early, so I chose the scene from The Fugitive, when Harrison Ford's character jumps off a dam and miraculously survives.
Here is the scene if you haven't seen it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5RRjdhbxPk 2. The attempt at a solution
After doing some research, I found that the Cheoah Dam was used to film the exterior shots for the movie. According to Wikipedia, the dam is 69m tall. In addition, I looked up the average mass of an American man, which is 86.6kg (again, according to Wikipedia).
Using this information, I understand that calculating the velocity, kinetic energy, etc. of the falling Harrison Ford would be trivial. However, my problem is more theoretical.
While it is clear that hitting, say, a concrete floor from that height would clearly kill Harrison Ford's character, I'm not sure what effect the water itself plays.
Could it be possible that the falling water from the dam could somehow allow Harrison Ford's character to survive? Also, are there aspects in regards to the way that the scene itself is filmed that I could prove to be inaccurate?
Any help regarding this problem would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance!
Homework Statement
For my mechanics class, I've been tasked with "debunking" an example of bad physics from a movie. Alternatively, I can prove what appears to be an example of bad physics from a movie, but is actually good physics. The teacher wanted us to submit our movie ideas early, so I chose the scene from The Fugitive, when Harrison Ford's character jumps off a dam and miraculously survives.
Here is the scene if you haven't seen it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5RRjdhbxPk 2. The attempt at a solution
After doing some research, I found that the Cheoah Dam was used to film the exterior shots for the movie. According to Wikipedia, the dam is 69m tall. In addition, I looked up the average mass of an American man, which is 86.6kg (again, according to Wikipedia).
Using this information, I understand that calculating the velocity, kinetic energy, etc. of the falling Harrison Ford would be trivial. However, my problem is more theoretical.
While it is clear that hitting, say, a concrete floor from that height would clearly kill Harrison Ford's character, I'm not sure what effect the water itself plays.
Could it be possible that the falling water from the dam could somehow allow Harrison Ford's character to survive? Also, are there aspects in regards to the way that the scene itself is filmed that I could prove to be inaccurate?
Any help regarding this problem would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance!