Ahmed Samir Ead, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta, joined CTV Edmonton Morning Live to separate science fact from fiction with two well-known myths.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Kent Morrison: Would a penny falling off the Empire State Building actually do damage? It’s something we’ve thought about since we were kids, and we think we know the answers, but maybe we don’t. This is something that seemingly has been in everybody’s mind since they were a kid, “Hey, don’t drop pennies off a tall building, because it could kill somebody.” Is that true?
Ahmed Samir Ead: Short answer is no, not true. If you’re walking in Toronto and you see a penny dropping towards you, don’t freak out. It’s not going to kill you.
Kent: It would probably hurt, though.
Ahmed: It would hurt a little bit, but not as much as people think.
Kent: It’s not going as fast as we think …