>>>My favorite cartoon trick: being on some sort of platform that falls from a great height, then simply stepping off right before it hits the ground. Cracks me up every time.
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>>I remember when I was a kid being convinced that if i were in an elevator and the cable were cut and we went into free-fall the trick would be to jump just before it hit bottom.
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>That would take away a bit of your kinetic energy, just as the railroad men jump backwards when jumping off a car. Depending on how well oiled your elevator shaft is, it may mean you end as a pancake a millimeter thicker than you would otherwise, or may actually save you a few fractures. Don't elevators have brakes for specially this sort of thing, so if it starts falling it should just block and dig in where it is?

I don't think it would save owt. Remember newton's 3rd law. You'd just kick the lift down a little faster.