How Long Would It Take to Reach the Mariana Trench's Bottom if the Ocean Were Drained?

The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean, reaching a truly astonishing depth of approximately 11,034 meters (36,201 feet) at its lowest point, known as the Challenger Deep. If the entire ocean were somehow drained and you were to jump from the surface straight down into the trench, how long would it take for you to hit the bottom? Let's explore this with the help of some basic physics.

Physics of Falling

Ignoring air resistance and focusing on the influence of gravity, we can use the principles of free fall to estimate the time required for a free-fall descent.

Free Fall Equation

The distance an object falls under the influence of gravity can be described by the equation:

d 1/2 * g * t^2

where:

d is the distance fallen (11,034 meters) g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s2) t is the time (in seconds)

To solve for t, we rearrange the formula:

t √(2d/g)

Plugging in the values:

t √(2 * 11034 m / 9.81 m/s2) ≈ √(2247.77) ≈ 47.4 seconds

Therefore, if there were no air resistance, it would take approximately 47.4 seconds to fall from the surface of the ocean to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Factors Influencing Free Fall

Keep in mind, this is a simplified scenario. In reality, several factors would significantly impact your fall:

Air Resistance: The air above the ocean's surface would slow your descent. At terminal velocity, a human typically reaches a speed of about 58 m/s after approximately 12 seconds, which would further lengthen the fall. Water Resistance: Once you hit the surface of the water, you would be slowed down by water resistance. This impact would also be influenced by the density of the water and the pressure at that depth. Pressure and Topography: The deep pressure and topography of the trench would also affect your fall velocity and impact.

Realistic Scenario

If we consider the presence of air and water, the fall would be much longer. Starting from an aircraft at high altitude, the time to fall would significantly increase. Even from near the sea level, the effect of air resistance would mean the fall would take several minutes rather than just 47.4 seconds.

Conclusion

Due to air and water resistance, the realistic time to fall to the bottom of the Mariana Trench is significantly longer than the theoretical free-fall scenario. In practice, it might take several minutes or more, depending on various factors such as your starting point and the speed at which you fall.

The Mariana Trench's depth and the nature of the ocean make it a challenging and dangerous environment to approach even by extreme measures. The deep pressure and the darkness would take a toll on any human attempting such a fall.