Claim: Dropping a penny from the Empire State Building could seriously injure someone on the street below

First requested: May 5, 2026 at 7:57 AM
15%

IsItCap Score

Truth Potential Meter

Not Credible

AI consensusWeak

Grader consensus is weak.
Range 0%–20% (spread Δ20).
The graders diverge. Treat the combined score as uncertain and read the sources carefully.
Read analysis summary

OpenAI Grade

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20%

Perplexity Grade

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20%

Google Gemini Grade

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Shareable summary
Verdict: Questionable
  • A penny’s terminal velocity is only about 30–50 mph due to air resistance, which is too low to cause serious i…
  • Experiments, including MythBusters tests, show that a penny fired at terminal velocity fails to penetrate conc…
/r/penny-empire-state-building-injury

Analysis Summary

The claim that dropping a penny from the Empire State Building could seriously injure someone is false. Most scientific sources, including physics experts, assert that a penny's terminal velocity is too low to cause serious harm. They argue that while a penny might hurt if it hits someone, it cannot cause fatal injuries. However, some alternative sources suggest that a penny could gain enough momentum to be lethal, but these claims lack substantial evidence and are often based on misconceptions about physics. Thus, the consensus among credible sources strongly disputes the claim's validity. The graders agree on direction, but vary in strength. OpenAI comes in highest (20%), while Gemini is lowest (0%). Gemini expresses higher confidence than OpenAI on this claim. While some sources argue that a penny dropped from a great height could potentially cause injury, they often do not provide robust scientific backing. For instance, claims about the penny gaining lethal momentum are countered by physics principles that indicate its terminal velocity is insufficient for serious harm. This discrepancy does not significantly alter the overall verdict, as the majority of credible evidence supports the conclusion that a penny cannot seriously injure someone when dropped from the Empire State Building.
Jump to source analysis

Source quality

Truth (from sources)2.00 / 10
Source reliability8.00 / 10
Source independence7.00 / 10

Claim checks

Fits established facts6.00 / 10
Logical consistency7.00 / 10
Expert consensus8.00 / 10
Related fact checks

Source Analysis

Common arguments
Supporting the claim
  • A penny dropped from the Empire State Building has enough height to reach high speeds, so in theory it could hurt someone if it hits a sens…
  • Some physics explanations argue that, in the absence of air resistance, a penny would gain lethal momentum by the time it reaches the groun…
  • The myth persists because people intuitively expect any object falling from such a height to be dangerous, even if the object is very light.
Against the claim
  • A penny’s terminal velocity is only about 30–50 mph due to air resistance, which is too low to cause serious injury or death.
  • Experiments, including MythBusters tests, show that a penny fired at terminal velocity fails to penetrate concrete, asphalt, or simulated h…
  • Multiple science‑oriented sources state that a falling penny might sting or cause minor pain but is not capable of causing fatal injuries.

Mainstream Sources

Publication

science.howstuffworks.com

Title

What if I threw a penny off the Empire State Building? | HowStuffWorks

Summary

A penny falling from such a height might hurt if it hits someone, but <strong>it&#x27;s not capable of causing fatal injuries</strong>. You might have heard the tale about a person who, standing on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, throws a penny ...

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Publication

reddit.com

Title

r/NoStupidQuestions on Reddit: How is it that a penny falling from the Empire State Building wouldn't kill a person, but a bullet falling will?

Summary

They maintain much of their horizontal momentum and are going faster than they would if simply dropped ... That&#x27;s a myth. <strong>The terminal velocity of a penny is too low to cause lethal injury</strong>

Source details

Type: Forum
Low Transparency

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Publication

altair.com

Title

Digital Debunking: Could a Penny Dropped Off the Top of the Empire State Building Actually Kill You?

Summary

You’ve probably heard the story – <strong>if you throw a penny from a skyscraper, it might bury itself in the concrete or even kill an unsuspecting bystander below</strong>. The open-air

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Alternative Sources

Publication

mechse.illinois.edu

Title

Lethal pennies and other misconceptions | Mechanical Science & Engineering | Illinois

Summary

Physics: <strong>A penny dropped from the top of the Empire State Building could gain enough momentum to kill a person standing on the sidewalk below.</strong> First of all, this especially doesn’t work because the Empire State Building tapers from top to ...

Source details

Type: Official

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Publication

abcnews.com

Title

Can a Penny Dropped From a Building Kill a Pedestrian Below? - ABC News

Summary

May 3, 2007 &amp;#151; -- Have you heard this one? That a penny thrown off the top of the Empire State Building could kill a pedestrian below?

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Publication

mythbusters.fandom.com

Title

Penny Drop Myth | Mythbusters Wiki | Fandom

Summary

The Myth - A penny dropped from a skyscraper lands with enough force to either kill a pedestrian on the sidewalk below or embed itself into the sidewalk. Verdict - Busted Notes - Firing a penny at terminal velocity (65 miles per hour (105 km/h)) into concrete and asphalt disks and a ballistics gel head with a human skull failed to result in any penetrations, likely because the speed is too low and a penny&#x27;s mass too small.

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Analysis Breakdown

True/False Spectrum (2.0)Source Credibility (8.0)Bias Assessment (7.0)Contextual Integrity (6.0)Content Coherence (7.0)Expert Consensus (8.0)63%

How to read the breakdown

Weakest areas
Truth2.0/10Context6.0/10
  • Truth: how well sources support the core claim.
  • Source reliability: whether the sources have a strong track record.
  • Independence: whether coverage looks one-sided or recycled.
  • Context: missing details (timeframe, definitions, scope) that change meaning.
  • Tip: if graders disagree, rely more on the summary + sources than the single number.

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Methodology