What would happen if you threw a penny out of the Empire State building

YouTuber Veritasium is known for his extreme experiments that sometimes even cause him to risk his life. In this episode of his show, he analyzes what would happen if a penny was thrown from the top of the Empire State building.

“Could it kill someone walking below? What does it take to create a deadly projectile?” asks the YouTuber. He then says he will put this to the test with the help of original myth buster Adam Savage.

What exactly will they do? Savage will go up in a helicopter to throw pennies at Veritasium who will stay on the ground. It seems our intrepid YouTuber is risking his life yet again.

Adam does point out that many people have wanted to try this experiment before. “When you go to the Empire State building every ledge on the observatory below is filled with pennies,” he says.

So are these ledges needed? Is it dangerous if a penny does fall to the ground from the Empire State building? How far up does the penny have to be thrown from until it becomes a deadly projectile? Does Veritasium make it through this experiment unhurt? This video answers all these questions.