I've known for a few years now that I really like coins, but it is starting to become a disease of sorts. A mental handicap. Let me explain. Last night I had to read this short story for homework. He has a paper, it flies out the window, blah blah blah. Anyhow, he climbs out to get the paper, and gets stuck 11 stories up. He has to try to find a way to get back in because the window shut. He pulls a half dollar out and slams it off the window, which made me shutter. He then starts dropping coins out of his pocket to get the attention of the people below him. At this point, I stop reading, flip to the end to see when it was written (1955), and proceed to think about what coins he could have had. Silver and wheats at the least. After about 5 minutes I continue reading the story. So today, the teacher asks what we thought of the story, and I said I thought it was terrible because he could have ruined history by dropping coins, and be deserved to fall off for doing so. She didn't like my answer... Anyhow, I find this happens WAY to often with me. I read about coins, and then spend 10 minutes thinking about them. Anyone else like this?
Sometimes, maybe, but not to the point that I feel someone deserves to fall off a building for dropping a coin.
did he destroy a bit of history?... yes, and no. he now added a bit too. i like a coin with a story behind it (no pun intended). did he deserve to drop off an 11 story building?... no.
I don't think he deserved to fall either, but maybe it would have been easier to get someone's attention below if he started undressing and dropped his clothes to the sidewalk. Chris
I wanted to add that I remember a story I heard back in the 50's. Supposedly, if someone threw a penny off the Empire State Building, it would embed itself into the concrete below. If that is true, imagine what it would do if it hit a person in the head! Chris
Just a thought on killing people with falling coins. You can't actually kill someone with a falling penny. The penny just isn't big enough and thus it reaches top vilocity too soon and that vilocity isn't high enough to kill someone.
I really did have a dream last night where the lady in front of me in line at the bank had a $500 bill she was going to deposit. In the dream I told her they would only give her $500 for it, but I would give her $600 for it and she sold it to me.
Close. Two things work together to prevent a falling coin from being lethal. The coins relatively low mass and it's high surface area. It's high surface area limits it's terminal velocity and it's low mass prevent it from gaining a deadly amount of energy while falling. Back to the subject at hand, the one thing that pops into my mind when reading the OP and many of the responses is: Isn't this a work of fiction? If so, it's quite likely that no coins were harmed...
Awesome story! Also, I don't think the OP really meant the dude should fall and die. You guys take things WAY to literal. Agree with everything but the spelling. Spell check is free and velocity is spelled with an "e". Also add wind resistance and relatively low mass and it would be a mild annoyance. *edit* Get out of my head Blaubart!!
If the woman in your dreams is Susan B. Anthony, it is time to give up coins and seek professional help. TC