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I remember as a kid, I found a big, sloped tree stump in town that if I ran and used it as a ramp, I could get enough height in a jump to be pushing my landing abilities near their limit. I wasn't a big time thrill seeker, but that became a habit for the wonderful free fall feeling and time effect. It didn't happen every time, but the slow-down effect was common enough that I got curious and wondered how it worked... was it just a trick of memory afterward or was it something in the moment?

I realize it isn't really good science, as I have only the subjective experience of the tests (so be it, I guess), but I did what I could on the repeatability front (sprained ankles and scratches paid with the kind of childhood zeal unhampered by considering possible consequences). When in that moment, I had enough mental time to think "no, not just a memory effect, this is really going on right now... and yeah, still going on, and still falling" several times before landing.

As an aspiring rational empiricist, I will force myself to give up this belief if need be, but a few tests aren't enough to do that. There are plenty of i's and t's to dot and cross in the experimental construction and interpretation first.




Jumping from playground swings is another good way to experience falling and associated slow-down effect.




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