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World Jump Day
The folks at World Jump Day plan to shift the orbit of planet Earth in order to "stop global warming, extend daytime hours and create a more homogenous climate." They'll achieve this by having 600 million people jump up in the air at the same time on July 20, 2006. And they're looking for jumpers! This, of course, recalls the old idea that "If all Chinese jumped at once, cataclysm would result." This has been debunked by The Straight Dope, which points out that the force generated by one billion Chinese people jumping up in the air at the same time would only be equivalent to about 500 tons of TNT. In other words, not that much. However, I don't think the creators of World Jump Day intend for anyone to take their idea that seriously. The site is registered to a German artist, Torsten Lauschmann. According to his web bio Lauschmann: celebrates glitches, and out-takes, bits in between and images that might be easy to ignore. Lauschmann is currently on a Trans European busking tour under the guise of Slender Whiteman where he will launch his solar powered dub system. He lives and works in Glasgow. Lauschmann also appears to be a member of a German art group called Vene Hammerschlag, which has also hosted World Jump Day on its site. In other words, World Jump Day appears to be some kind of art project hoax.
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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I hear that this Wednesday is World Hump Day. I been practicing, and I'm ready. One hump or two?
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Tue Mar 01, 2005 at 08:14 AM
It appears Lauschmann busking tour was in the summer of 2002 (the "current" was at the time of writing for that website).
Posted by Floormaster Squeeze on Tue Mar 01, 2005 at 09:45 AM
If people all around the world jump at the same time, the effects should more or less cancel each other out (not exactly, though, because there would be more people in some areas than others).
You would need to coordinate how many people jump in each place at each time in order to have the desired (infinitesimal) effect on the earth's orbit.
Posted by Gary in Dallas in Dallas, Texas on Tue Mar 01, 2005 at 09:48 AM
You would need to coordinate how many people jump in each place at each time in order to have the desired (infinitesimal) effect on the earth's orbit.
Yes, I agree. If everybody in the world humped at once, what would be the intestinal result? The bog mindles.
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Tue Mar 01, 2005 at 10:21 AM
day 1 - jumping day. Lot of fun...
day 10 - sun looks a little bit bigger
day 100 - sun is really big today
day 200 - we killed the guy who propose jumping day. It is hot as hell.
day 300 - we killed all who jumped. Sun is going to kill the rest of us in a few days...
Posted by Loxx on Tue Mar 01, 2005 at 02:00 PM
day 10 - sun looks a little bit bigger
day 100 - sun is really big today
day 200 - we killed the guy who propose jumping day. It is hot as hell.
day 300 - we killed all who jumped. Sun is going to kill the rest of us in a few days...
This seems similar to Not One Damn Dime Day.
Posted by Protest Everything! on Tue Mar 01, 2005 at 04:19 PM
Not One Damn Dime Day? What's that? Is it like Neds and Chavs and such? Or is it about Cynthia? Is it about DNA Erection? Is it about the Itcha kid? I must know.
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Tue Mar 01, 2005 at 04:38 PM
I imagine that there are a lot of people who believe that this will do some good. Does anyone else remember the book that said that when the outer planets align, the Earth would experience all sorts of calamities? Even though scientists quickly were able to prove, often on national television, that the gravitational effects would be less than noticible on the Earth. Last year's great earthquake/tsunami slowed the Earth by so small an amount that it almost couldn't be measured. Do these people somehow think that they are more powerful that that?
Posted by Christopher Cole in Tucson, AZ on Tue Mar 01, 2005 at 06:54 PM
When the Moon is in the 7th house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then Peace will guide the gouramis and Love will steer the angelfish. This is the dawning of the Age of Aquariums.
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Tue Mar 01, 2005 at 07:02 PM
I'm down with the Age of Aquariums.
If you're ever in the neighborhood, stop by and I'll show you my Ptychochromis grandidieri and my Paratilapia bleekeri.
Posted by Big Gary C in Dallas, Texas on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 10:17 AM
If you're ever in the neighborhood, stop by and I'll show you my Ptychochromis grandidieri and my Paratilapia bleekeri.
You should see my Platypus Katydid and my Paraphenalia Blynken. Just the sight of them makes the whole world jump.
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 11:05 AM
Another thing that most people don't realize is that when everyone jumps (and let's assume that only people in the Western Hemisphere are jumping, as they mention on their page), the people move up and the Earth moves down (very little of course). When the people fall back to Earth, the Earth falls back to the people. When the people land, the Earth is back in its original position. The only way to change the Earth's orbit is if the people could actually jump off of the Earth and out of our solar system.
Posted by Nate Smith in Hartland, Wisconsin, USA on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 12:05 PM
"extend daytime hours and create a more homogenous climate"
What do I win with more our per date? my biological time will be the same...
I will be 40 years old and I will look like
a 80 years old man.
Another point is that the moon is going to mantain it's orbit... this will generate a real
madness in the oceans. Cities near it will be covered by water.
Posted by Mike on Wed Apr 06, 2005 at 08:23 PM
What do I win with more our per date? my biological time will be the same...
I will be 40 years old and I will look like
a 80 years old man.
Another point is that the moon is going to mantain it's orbit... this will generate a real
madness in the oceans. Cities near it will be covered by water.
Maxwell, jump. Jump! Go ahead and jump! 
Posted by Ztrain on Wed Apr 27, 2005 at 10:24 AM
This is the most rediculous thing i've ever seen. NO YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE ORBIT OF EARTH BY SIMPLY HAVING EVERYONE JUMP ON IT AT THE SAME TIME. Those of you who know some basic physics realize that conservation of momentum is the reason this cannot happen.
Posted by Person With A Brain in College on Mon May 23, 2005 at 01:33 AM
Actually, Person with a Brain, it isn't conservation of motion that is the killer to the idea, it is the relative mass. If you apply enough force opposite to the direction to Earth's rotation you could, in theory, stop the Earth. Everyone jumping up and down couldn't do it. That earthquake in Indonesia, according to a couple of reports I read, changed the Earth's rotation by somewhere around a nanosecond or so. The weight of the entire population is so small in comparison to the mass of the Earth that even if everyone acted in concert, it would make exactly no difference. You need a special device only available from the Secret Masters to make any difference.
Posted by Christopher Cole in Tucson, AZ on Mon May 23, 2005 at 10:14 AM
Christopher, you and Person are both correct. It is possible for us to change the rotation of the Earth (similar to us running on a giant spinning log), but not possible for us to change it's orbit. Person is correct that conservation of momentum is the reason. You aren't disagreeing with each other. He is addressing the orbit, and you are addressing the rotation.
Posted by Nate Smith in Wisconsin on Mon May 23, 2005 at 05:19 PM
Presuming Bode's Law is not a real law of nature, it is possible to change Earth's orbit. The Earth is slowing down in its orbit due to friction with the Solar Wind even now. As the Earth slows, it moves farther from the Sun, that is the conservation of motion since the Earth will "spend" the same amount of energy traveling a longer distance at a slower speed.
However, I forgot that the original World Jump Day was about changing the orbit and not the rotation. Not that everyone jumping at the same time would do either, but it would be easier to change the rotation because of the energies involved.
Posted by Christopher Cole in Tucson, AZ on Mon May 23, 2005 at 06:09 PM
However, I forgot that the original World Jump Day was about changing the orbit and not the rotation. Not that everyone jumping at the same time would do either, but it would be easier to change the rotation because of the energies involved.
Losers, this thing is going to rock.
Posted by Ed in Atlanta Ga on Thu Jun 02, 2005 at 07:24 PM
What's the matter with you, what can you possible have against this noble undertaking? Why are you undermining the credibility of this deeply serious project on which our future relies? It's guys like you that bring this earth into damnation!!
Posted by Tore in Lisbon on Tue Jun 14, 2005 at 09:48 AM
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