What If You Fell From 356 Meters? (THE LAB)

TL;DR

Mitch and Greg face their fear of heights by completing the edge walk at the CN Tower, reaching a height of 356 meters.

Transcript

[Intro music plays] Mitch: Hello, and welcome to The Lab, where we take your questions and turn them into experiments My name is Mitch, Greg: And I'm Greg, and today, we're gonna be conquering one of our greatest fears, which is the fear of height. Mitch: Specifically, we're gonna be climbing one of the tallest free-standing structures in the weste... Read More

Key Insights

• 😨 The fear of heights, or acrophobia, can lead to physical symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and shaking, making it a challenging fear to overcome.
• 😨 Humans are born with a natural predisposition to be cautious around heights, which contributes to the fear of heights being common.
• 🍂 Falling from extreme heights, such as the CN Tower, would lead to speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, making survival unlikely without external factors impacting the fall.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are the symptoms of acrophobia?

The symptoms of acrophobia include dizziness, nausea, and shaking. These physical sensations can be triggered when exposed to heights and can vary in intensity for different individuals.

Q: Are fears of heights learned or innate?

While fears of heights can stem from learned experiences or traumatic events, research suggests that the fear of heights is something we are born with. Studies with domestic animals and toddlers have shown a natural predisposition to be cautious around cliffs or heights.

Q: How fast would a person fall from the CN Tower?

A person falling from the CN Tower's height of 356 meters would reach speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour and reach the bottom in under 9 seconds, considering no air resistance. Skydivers, facing stomach to earth, reach around 195 kilometers per hour, but only after traveling 450 meters.

Q: Can you survive a fall from such heights?

While the chances of survival are unlikely, there have been cases of people surviving falls from very high heights. The chances of survival can depend on various factors, including the deformity of the surface landed on, such as soft snow or high deformity materials.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Mitch and Greg embark on an experiment to overcome their fear of heights by walking around the edge of the CN Tower, one of the tallest free-standing structures in the western hemisphere.

• The CN Tower stands at 553 meters high and offers the highest external walk of a building in the world.

• The fear of heights, or acrophobia, is a common fear that can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and shaking.