How to free-fall through the sound barrier | Physics - The Science of a Space Dive

On his record breaking free-fall Felix Baumgartner broke the sound barrier. This clip explores the science behind the dangers of the human body free-falling faster than the speed of sound. Subscribe for more Physics clips from BBC Teach on Wednesdays when we have them in: http://bit.ly/BBCSubscribeTeach If you found this video helpful, give it a like. Share it with someone. Add the video to your own teaching playlists. Create an account, subscribe to the channel and create playlists for different age groups, sets and syllabuses. ===================== For Felix Baumgartner to skydive from higher than anyone has ever dared he must also do something no human has ever done: free-fall though the sound barrier. In a computer animation it looks straightforward enough, but the reality is no one knows if this is possible. To be able to go supersonic Felix will have to break through the transonic wall; at this moment some parts of his body begin to go supersonic while other parts remain sub-sonic. This could cause violent vibrations which could damage his organs or even kill him. This clip is from the BBC series The Science of a Space Dive. The science behind Felix Baumgartner's historic, record-breaking freefall from the edge of space to Earth is explained in six short clips. This includes explanations about the physics of gravity and the sound barrier. For more clips from The Science of a Space Dive: http://bit.ly/TeachSDive For our Physics playlist: http://bit.ly/BBCTeachPhysics For our Gravity playlist: http://bit.ly/TeachGravity For Class Clips users, the original reference for the clip was p012x7ff. ===================== Teaching Physics? This clip could be used to stimulate discussion about gravity, free fall, air resistance and terminal velocity. Ask the students if they can they think of other examples of attempts on world records where science has played a part and the person doing the project put themselves in danger? This is the last of six clips from ‘The Science of a Space Dive’ and could be used in conjunction with the rest of the series. This clip could be relevant to teaching Science at KS3 and KS4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and at National 4/5 or Higher in Scotland. ===================== For more clips from other subjects at the BBC Teach YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/bbcteach More from BBC Learning Zone: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone More resources from BBC Bitesize: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education ===================== Subscribe to create your own customised playlists, and get notified about our latest clips. As we have them, new videos will be uploaded on the following days: Mondays: Biology, Computer Science, Music, Religious Studies Tuesdays: Drama and Performance, English Language, Maths, Physical Education Wednesdays: Languages, Media Studies, Modern Studies and PSHE, Physics Thursdays: Art and Design, Chemistry, Geography, History Fridays: Business Studies, Design and Technology, English Literature, Early Years