# Chinese stage collapse.



## TheaterEd (May 11, 2015)

Here is the Gif
Here is the Video. It happens at 5:37

I guess the glass half full comment is, at least it wasn't the pit cover..... 
I hope everyone made it out okay.


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## gafftaper (May 11, 2015)

Weird how the entire group falls exactly at the same time and rate. That wasn't some braces collapsing one at a time. That was like an elevator drop.


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## DuckJordan (May 11, 2015)

Looks like one of the stages that can be raised or lowered to accommodate loading in a show at ground level and the main audience is actually on second floor. Hydraulics probably gave out

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk


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## StradivariusBone (May 11, 2015)

That is terrifying. Did some Google Fu-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ingers-tumbling-five-metres-view-instant.html


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## robartsd (May 11, 2015)

StradivariusBone said:


> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ingers-tumbling-five-metres-view-instant.html


Thanks for the link. Glad to hear that many of the singers were not injured. I was worried that more would be as it seemed clear to me in the video that they were accelerating downward as they fell out of view. Looks pretty clear that the hydralics of the lift somehow failed.


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## Jay Ashworth (May 11, 2015)

I might be wrong, but in those single frame grabs, it appears that the rear row is moving faster than the front, that the height difference between the rows is getting smaller as they descend into the stage.


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## techieman33 (May 11, 2015)

Jay Ashworth said:


> I might be wrong, but in those single frame grabs, it appears that the rear row is moving faster than the front, that the height difference between the rows is getting smaller as they descend into the stage.



I think it looks like they're still all at the same level relative to each other in the stills.


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## StradivariusBone (May 11, 2015)

The "boom" when it hits bottom is a lot more delayed than I'd of suspected if they were falling the 15ish feet at 9.8 m/s/s. I tried looking up the venue, but couldn't find much there. It's amazing to me how much the internet links and rehosts to itself, especially considering this only happened a few days ago. Most of the links seem to corroborate that only 8 were injured. 

If anyone else wants to take a crack- it's the Bijie Grand Theatre.


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## techieman33 (May 11, 2015)

StradivariusBone said:


> The "boom" when it hits bottom is a lot more delayed than I'd of suspected if they were falling the 15ish feet at 9.8 m/s/s. I tried looking up the venue, but couldn't find much there. It's amazing to me how much the internet links and rehosts to itself, especially considering this only happened a few days ago. Most of the links seem to corroborate that only 8 were injured.
> 
> If anyone else wants to take a crack- it's the Bijie Grand Theatre.



If it was a hydraulic failure like most of us seem to expect then it probably wouldn't be total free fall. Having to force the fluid out of the cylinders would slow it a little.


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## Max Warasila (May 12, 2015)

Since every opportunity is a Physics opportunity...

I timed the entire fall: 3.44 sec
The visible section: 1.53 sec
Approximated the visible section: 2.5m from highest head to when it's behind the stage wall.



As we have proven using very bad estimation, the energy gained by the system to be dissipated though friction was immense; the amount per singer was rather small - no worse than jumping off an 8 foot platform, I'd wager:

Vf = sqrt[(1^2)+2(9.8)(2.2-0)]
= 6.5m/s

Ke= [60*(6.5^2)]/2
= 1267 J

Happy AP Testing!


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## gafftaper (May 12, 2015)

@Max Warasila can my kids call you for help with their math homework?


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## Max Warasila (May 13, 2015)

gafftaper said:


> @Max Warasila can my kids call you for help with their math homework?


Sure. At least until they reach calculus... I never officially got that far.


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