6. Deadly Penny
This very common myth was probably believed by just about everyone at some point in their life. The myth claims that a coin (most commonly a penny) dropped from the Empire State Building will gain enough velocity to kill someone at ground level if it struck them. The reality of terminal velocity makes that impossible. A falling object, whether it is falling from the top of a skyscraper or from an airplane at 40,000 feet, is capable of reaching a certain speed and no more than that. That’s terminal velocity. Although a coin dropped on your head from atop the Empire State Building might hurt more than one dropped from the roof of a house, neither will kill you. Now if you want to talk about bowling balls, that’s a whole different story!