Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Years ago I heard some random guy talking about how he wanted to skydive with a paintball gun and shoot at the ground as he was in free fall and my first thought was, "I bet he could end up getting hit by his own paintballs."

I did that math that evening, and yeah. Absolutely. While paintballs get shot out of a marker at ~190 mph (plus 120 mph terminal velocity for a person), their terminal velocity is closer to 50 mph. So the paintball will rapidly decelerate, and you keep chugging along at over twice its speed.



Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: