less time than the first three? Actually, this also applies to a falling rock… but

rocks aren't nearly as good looking. Anyway, by the time a diver (or rock) has fallen three

meters, they're already going about 17mph, and as they fall farther, they continue to

pick up speed so that they cover the remaining distance in less time.

But now suppose a world record sprinter races our olympic diver - that is, Usain Bolt starts

ten meters from the finish line, and the diver starts ten meters above it. Who gets there

first?

Well, Bolt's actual running time through the first 10 meters of his world record was 1.74

seconds, while a rock falling 10 meters takes only 1.43 seconds… so victory to the rock

by a slim margin. But of course, an olympic diver is NOT a rock, and in particular they'll

jump upwards off the platform - this means they'll be in the air for an additional third

of a second, or a total of about 1.78 seconds before they hit the water. So it's actually

a close race, and Bolt wins the photo finish!

However, while we continue to be amazed by how fast Usain Bolt is, the fact that he could

beat a diver in free fall is more of a reminder that gravity, while a law of nature and thus

consistent, doesn't give you a blazing start. That's why it's easiest to catch something

in the first instant after you drop it. If you wait even a second, it'll be 15 feet down

and already traveling 20 miles per hour. Bye bye!