How fast would a coin dropped from the Eiffel Tower travel?

We explore the curious questions that science can answer

The Eiffel Tower stands 330m tall (Getty/iStock)

How fast would a coin dropped from the top of the Eiffel Tower be travelling by the time it reached the bottom? Could it hurt someone if it hit them?

A falling object doesn’t accelerate indefinitely. It speeds up until it reaches its “terminal velocity”, after which it will continue to fall at the same speed. A coin dropped from the Eiffel Tower has a terminal velocity of about 45 metres per second (about 100mph) – which would certainly cause some considerable damage to anyone unlucky enough to be hit by it.

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