This is not a 'joke' question. If you were in a lift/elevator and the cables broke..(more details)?
960647
Okay so if you are falling towards the ground the problem is that you are going to have a lot of speed when you hit the ground and that's not a good thing at all.  It is true that you can use your legs to push yourself upwards.  If you could push yourself upwards enough you could reduce your velocity towards the ground or even cancel it out!  So the question is how much upwards velocity can you give yourself by jumping.\n\nSo a little background first.  Say a slingshot fires a ball at 50 m/s.  If you were falling straight down towards the ground at 40 m/s and you shot the ball straight up it would have a velocity of 10 m/s upwards.  How did I get that? I got it because you can just add and subtract velocities like that if they are in the exact same direction (or exactly opposite direction).  I walk left at 5m/s along the ground and throw a ball same way at 6m/s it is then going left at 5ms+6m/s.  Or if I threw it right at 6m/s while walking left it would start with a velocity of (5m/s-6m/s) left which is -1m/s left (that's the exact same thing as 1m/s right).\n\nYou can figure out how much upwards velocity you can give yourself by jumping using this formula:\n\nvf²=vi²+2ad\n\nvf = final velocity, vi = initial velocity, a=acceleration, d=distance\n\nImagine you're standing on the ground while we think about this for a second and that you are great at jumping and you can jump 1 meter upwards.  You start with some velocity vi from your jump and have 0 velocity when you hit the peak of your jump at 1 meter in the air.\n\n0=vi²+2(9.8)(1)\n\nvi=4.4m/s\n\nSo if you are a strong jumper you can give yourself an upwards velocity of 4.4m/s.\n\nNow finally back to the elevator, if you and the elevator fell from a 5th floor at about 15m height you would be going down pretty quickly, almost 20m/s before you hit the ground.\n\nNow if you could jump upwards JUST before hitting the ground you might at best get almost 4.4m/s of upwards velocity and you could subtract that from your downards velocity of 20m/s.  That gives about 15m/s and that is a big problem to hit the ground at that speed.\n\nUnfortunately you wouldn't even do that well because not all of the force you applied to jump upwards would go into accelerating you upwards.  Some of it would go into pushing the elevator downwards even faster so you would gain even less upwards velocity.\n\nThe short answer is you could reduce your speed a little bit but not nearly enough to stop yourself from landing way too hard.
952300
I would be absolutely devastated!!!  You are my hero! You are  always here to rescue me whenever I'm in trouble....and there is no one here worthy enough to catch me when I fall!!! :(
1049194
Things to do in an elevator:\n\n1) When there's only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder and then pretend it wasn't you.\n\n2) Push the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back and go back for more. \n\n3) Ask if you can push the button for other people, but push the wrong ones.\n\n4) Call the Psychic Hotline from your cell phone and ask if they know what floor you're on.\n\n5) Hold the doors open and say you're waiting for your friend. After a while, let the doors close and say, "Hi Greg. How's your day your day been?"\n\n6) Drop a pen and wait until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream, "That's mine!"\n\n7) Bring a camera and take pictures of everyone in the elevator.\n\n8) Move your desk in to the elevator and whenever someone gets on, ask if they have an appointment.\n\n9) Lay down a Twister mat and ask people if they'd like to play.\n\n10) Leave a box in the corner, and when someone gets on ask them if they hear something ticking. \n\n11) Pretend you are a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the passengers.\n\n12) Ask, "Did you feel that?"\n\n13) Stand really close to someone, sniffing them occasionally.\n\n14) When the doors close, announce to the others, "It's okay. Don't panic, They open up again."\n\n15) Swat at flies that don't exist.\n\n16) Tell people that you can see their aura.\n\n17) Call out, "group hug!", then enforce it.\n\n18) Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering, "Shut up, all of you, just shut up!"\n\n19) Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside, ask, Got enough air in there?"\n\n20) Stand silently and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.\n\n21) Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce in horror, "You're one of THEM!" and back away slowly.\n\n22) Wear a puppet on your hand and use it to talk to the other passengers.\n\n23) Listen to the elevator walls with your stethoscope.\n\n24) Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.\n\n25) Stare, grinning at another passenger for a while, and then announce, "I have new socks on."\n\n26) Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other \npassengers, "This is my personal space!"\n\n27.) ask "excuse me, my butt itching, can anyone scratch it for me?" (you are holding things in your two hands)\n\n28.) Turn against the wall and start talking to the wall.\n\n29.) Look at your "invisivle" watch, and take your wrist and ask one of the people "Is this time right?"\n\n30.) Start hummong really loudly like you are meditating "UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...\n\n31.) start doing jumping jacks.\n\n32.) Look at your hand and say out load "woooooow, coool" and wave your hand at the people and say "isn't it wow and cool?"\n\n33.) Sit on the floor and close your eyes, and start snoring really loudly.\n\n34.) Look suddenly at the floor of the elevator and start screaming at the "invisible" squirrel. \n\n==============================...\n\nHello, are you tired of your stinky butt, then get "Stink be Gone" for just 19.95 (plus shipping and handling) in three easy steps:\n\n1.) Take the Powder and apply it to your @$$\n\n2.) Rinse\n\n3.) and wait\n\n(4.) For best result take a dump outside and THEN use the "Stinkt Be gone" powder\n\nRemember, its very limited so call now!! at 1-800-butt-stink\nor go to www.stinkbutt.com
858637
hmm...surge somewhere.  Could be very dangerous, though.  Call electrician tomorrow.
245329
Many of the manufacturers websites will have some background theory on their products. Here's an interesting website that claims to even anticipate instead of react to changing cable tension\n\nhttp://www.dfdinstruments.co.uk/ProductTechnology/towingsystem.htm
516238
By cable.......and you need cables.
567404
I am sure there is, that's why we had to learn the geometry and algebra.  I am sorry I don't know what it is.  I would bet it has to do with the weight of the load depends on the type of cable you would use and amount of cable depends on the volume of the load...see?
440885
Get some "Hands-On" Experience actually Repairing Electronics. While Consumer Electronic Items are becoming increasingly Disposable, not everything is "Throwaway". I used to Work in the TV Repair Business, and a frequent Point of Amusement to those in the Business has always been Electrical Engineers that couldn't Fix Anything! When was the last Time You Repaired a Radio, or a TV? To Really find out Firsthand how Things Work would, in My Opinion, be "The Best Thing To Do"!
596034
Yes, any sting would ultimately break under its own weight given sufficient length.  \n\nScientists have actually proposed using a string (cable) to create a space elevator for transporting materials to and from space.  One of the biggest technical challenges they face is finding a material strong enough that it won't break under its own weight.  Composite ribbon of carbon nanotubes appears to be a possible solution.
561380
i don't know if you should even attempt that.  there have been many accidents with those exploding and overheating and such... it may not be safe to try to rewire one of those on your own.
895846
Well now.....I would have to say D with my gf.  (If I could get her to that is!)\n\nToo many people around to do option A - my office has an open floor plan...no one - not even the president - has an office.  (I have done this when I did have an office.)\n\nOption B....not my style...\n\nOption C....Done it!!!\n\nIn the elevator would be awesome...The stop switches don't have alarms and it would be so awesome to do it on the way back to work!\n\nWhat about you?
767695
dont let the transporter hit your a*s on the way out ;P
141294
Static electricity! Your hairs were probably positively charged while the chair was negatively charged.
554109
use ultrasonic machine... the sound waves should shatter it to smithereens
930128
Elevators are not necessarily inoperable in a fire.\n\nIf a fire is in the building, most likely you will not be trapped like they show in the movies.  The elevator should go to the lobby floor and open.\n\nThe "use stairs in case of fire" signage is there because:  \n\nA)  The elevators have all gone to the lobby level and can only be operated by firefighters at that point.\n\nB)  To prevent people from getting in an elevator and getting off on a floor where there is a fire.\n\nYou can get stuck in an elevator in a building that has a power outage that has no emergency generator, though.
574344
I tried to go skiing. While getting on the chairlift, one of my skis stayed at the bottom of the hill and, because I had never regularly gotten off a chairlift, my friend tried to drag me off but we wound up on the ground and the lift had to stop so we could crawl out from under.\nThen, while going to the hill, I slipped and one of my skis went in-between a snowboarder's legs. THAT was extremely embarrassing because I was lying down underneath of her, one leg in-between hers, and I had knocked her backwards, though she managed to catch herself from falling on top of me.\nWhen I finally got out of that mess, it took me over an hour to go down the hill.\n\nAfter that escapade, I stayed in the resort all day and haven't gone skiing since.
952325
You would not feel any change. You were weightless before the star 'appeared'. And once you come under the acceleration (you might call it deceleration), you would still be weightless in the reference system of the interior of your spacecraft. You would be subject to the same gravity of this star as your spacecraft, and would still be free-floating. \n\nEven if your spacecraft were exerting thrust, you would feel only the force of that thrust on your body. Assuming you are in a seat, the seat has to push you to keep you moving at the spacecraft's velocity. Even though the acceleration due to the star is presumably much higher than that of the thrust, all you feel is the relatively small thrust. It's because you fall equally with the spacecraft. Think back to the last time you were in an elevator and the cable broke.\n\nYou would notice only if you looked astern, or it started getting hot.