“With enough stupidity you can get any car to roll over” (MSN AUTO)
What stuntmen and women need is maths!
Maths is essential to the process, from calculating speeds and braking distances to looking at the ratio of the amount of film shot to the length of time of the end sequence. The stunt and crash is outlined, and the co-ordinator explains how he must calculate speeds and stopping distances carefully.
So you want to be a stuntman?
First think of the pain.
Mark Eiden, 52, a professional stuntman (pictured) who is not only afraid of heights, but was once told he likely wouldn’t walk again. Eiden’s had surgery on both arms and shoulders, five knee surgeries, six nasal reconstructions, foot and hand surgery and a facial cast. He fell off the top of a stunt car at 40 mph when the tyre blew. He gaffer taped his ear and continued, despite severe concussion. Northern Express Michigan
If you still want to be a stuntman do the Maths:
Rolling a Car:
You can use quick handbrake turn, speed around a corner, fishtail into the curb or some other lunatic thing. The most controlled way to roll a car is to use a ramp.
These ramps often have a kicker at the end to add extra lift. Ramp calculations can be complicated, but the simplest way to look at the maths is to determine the angle a car will roll ie. When the Centre of Gravity moves over the base.
Centre of Gravity vs Base Width
The distance between the front wheels in cars is often called the track width.
So the Lamobgini Diablo is very hard to roll (build a higher ramp) and it therefore beats the SUV for stability every time.
Balancing on 2 Wheels
A more skilled stunt involves driving a car on two wheels. A very skilled stunt driver can lift the car onto wheels by snaking the car back and forth across the road until it balances on 2 wheels.
From the Centre of Gravity vs Base angles above you can see that the SUV is the easiest car to balance of 2 wheels.
But there is nothing quite as crazy as this SUV stunt:
The main concern when jumping out off a building is that the airbag (cardboard boxes) cover the drop zone.
The maths calculations involved in jumping off a building are straightforward. You might like to check out How Maths Solved a real murder.
Jump Height that Kills
It doesn’t take much of a fall to cause damage. Sean Hughes, professor of surgery at Imperial College, London. Says “From a height of 3m you could fracture your spine,” he says. “At around 10m, you’re looking at very serious injuries.” (The Guardian, 20 MAY 2014)
Stunt Jump from building from standing start
As this jump – as in most base jumps – involves a standing start:
On April 12 2017 16-year-old Davis Cripe collapsed at school in South Carolina and died later in hospital.In the span of two hours, Davis drank a cafe latte from McDonald’s and a large Mountain Dew, then “chugged” a 16-ounce energy drink when he got back to art class.
Here, assuming Davis drank large sized drinks, is the lethal caffeine consumption.
NOTE: Davis lived in the USA where standard drink volumes are slightly different to Australia & UK. The USA volumes are used here converted to litre and ml.
The official cause of death was “caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia,” the coroner concluded. Source: Washington Post
Caffeine can kill.
WARNING: “Mixing caffeine with alcohol is a dangerous practice because it may lead to higher levels of alcohol consumption as the person often believes and feels they are more alert,” said Dr Robert Glatter, ER doctor at Lenox Hill Hospital, NYC . “The risk of alcohol poisoning increases as people consume more alcohol because they feel the caffeine will keep them awake and alert.” Source: USA Today
On April 12 2017 16-year-old Davis Cripe collapsed at school in South Carolina and died later in hospital.In the span of two hours, Davis drank a cafe latte from McDonald’s and a large Mountain Dew, then “chugged” a 16-ounce energy drink when he got back to art class.
Here, assuming Davis drank the large sized drinks, is the lethal caffeine consumption.
The official cause of death was “caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia,” the coroner concluded. Source: Washington Post
Caffeine can kill.
WARNING: “Mixing caffeine with alcohol is a dangerous practice because it may lead to higher levels of alcohol consumption as the person often believes and feels they are more alert,” said Dr Robert Glatter, ER doctor at Lenox Hill Hospital, NYC . “The risk of alcohol poisoning increases as people consume more alcohol because they feel the caffeine will keep them awake and alert.” Source: USA Today
“With enough stupidity you can get any car to roll over” (MSN AUTO)
What stuntmen and women need is maths!
Maths is essential to the process, from calculating speeds and braking distances to looking at the ratio of the amount of film shot to the length of time of the end sequence. The stunt and crash is outlined, and the co-ordinator explains how he must calculate speeds and stopping distances carefully.
So you want to be a stuntman?
First think of the pain.
Mark Eiden, 52, a professional stuntman (pictured) who is not only afraid of heights, but was once told he likely wouldn’t walk again. Eiden’s had surgery on both arms and shoulders, five knee surgeries, six nasal reconstructions, foot and hand surgery and a facial cast. He fell off the top of a stunt car at 40 mph when the tyre blew. He gaffer taped his ear and continued, despite severe concussion. Northern Express Michigan
If you still want to be a stuntman do the Maths:
Rolling a Car:
You can use quick handbrake turn, speed around a corner, fishtail into the curb or some other lunatic thing. The most controlled way to roll a car is to use a ramp.
These ramps often have a kicker at the end to add extra lift. Ramp calculations can be complicated, but the simplest way to look at the maths is to determine the angle a car will roll ie. When the Centre of Gravity moves over the base.
Centre of Gravity vs Base Width
The distance between the front wheels in cars is often called the track width.
So the Lamobgini Diablo is very hard to roll (build a higher ramp) and it therefore beats the SUV for stability every time.
Balancing on 2 Wheels
A more skilled stunt involves driving a car on two wheels. A very skilled stunt driver can lift the car onto wheels by snaking the car back and forth across the road until it balances on 2 wheels.
From the Centre of Gravity vs Base angles above you can see that the SUV is the easiest car to balance of 2 wheels.
But there is nothing quite as crazy as this SUV stunt:
The main concern when jumping out off a building is that the airbag (cardboard boxes) cover the drop zone.
The maths calculations involved in jumping off a building are straightforward. You might like to check out How Maths Solved a real murder.
Jump Height that Kills
It doesn’t take much of a fall to cause damage. Sean Hughes, professor of surgery at Imperial College, London. Says “From a height of 3m you could fracture your spine,” he says. “At around 10m, you’re looking at very serious injuries.” (The Guardian, 20 MAY 2014)
Stunt Jump from building from standing start
As this jump – as in most base jumps – involves a standing start:
Table from Accident Reconstruction Website
