RealitySim

iPhone 15 free fall onto concrete

An iPhone 15 is released from rest at 4.57 m (15 ft) and falls onto rigid concrete; impact velocity, energy and an order-of-magnitude force estimate are computed.

Inputs & what-if

Drop height*4.57 m
Object mass0.17 kg
Effective stopping distance*1.20 mm
Drag area (Cd·A)0.01 m²
Gravity9.81 m/s²

Model inspector

Free Fall & Impact Energy

Classical mechanics / impact analysis

The object starts at rest and falls under gravity onto a hard surface, so free-fall kinematics plus an energy-based impact estimate applies.

Equations

  • v_impact = √(2·g·h) (drag-corrected numerically)
  • E_p = m·g·h, E_k = ½·m·v²
  • F̄ ≈ E_k / d where d is the effective stopping distance

Validity range

Drop heights 0.1–100 m, compact rigid objects, terminal velocity not reached.

Limitations

  • Damage outcome cannot be reliably predicted: orientation, impact point, case, glass condition and manufacturing variation dominate.
  • No structural or material FEA is performed — forces are order-of-magnitude estimates only.

Sensitivity

Effect of a +10% change on Impact velocity

Gravity4.9%
Drop height4.4%
Drag area (Cd·A)0.7%
Object mass0.6%
Effective stopping distance0.0%
0.00 / 0.99 s

Timeline

x

0.00 m

y

4.57 m

|v|

0.00 m/s

a

9.81 m/s²

External data & sources

  • Massofficial · high

    171 g

    Apple iPhone 15 technical specifications · retrieved 1970-01-01

    View source
  • Effective stopping distanceestimated · low

    ≈1.2 mm

    Estimated combined device/surface deformation · retrieved 1970-01-01

Assumptions

  • Released from rest
  • Rigid concrete surface
  • Orientation at impact unknown
  • No protective case
  • Object released from rest with no initial velocity.
  • Impact surface is rigid (concrete) and does not absorb meaningful energy.
  • Effective stopping distance represents combined device + surface deformation.

Results

Impact velocity8.88 m/sconfidence: high

Why did this happen?

  1. Free fall over 4.57 m
  2. Gravity accelerates the object continuously
  3. Air drag is small at this scale
Potential energy at release7.67 Jconfidence: high

Why did this happen?

  1. E_p = m·g·h with known mass and height
Kinetic energy at impact6.74 Jconfidence: high

Why did this happen?

  1. Nearly all potential energy converts to kinetic energy
Mean impact force (estimate)5615 Nconfidence: low

Why did this happen?

  1. Energy must be dissipated over the stopping distance
  2. Assumed effective deformation of 1.2 mm
  3. Real peak force depends on orientation and contact stiffness
Impact duration (estimate)0.27 msconfidence: low

Why did this happen?

  1. Derived from stopping distance and impact velocity
Fall time0.99 sconfidence: high

Why did this happen?

  1. Kinematics of free fall from rest

Damage outlook (probabilistic)

  • Screen damage: medium probability
  • Body/frame damage: low–medium probability
  • Internal component damage: cannot be determined

Real outcome depends strongly on orientation, impact point, surface texture, protective case, existing condition and manufacturing variation. This is not a structural prediction.

AI explanation assistant

Scientific integrity

Results are computed by an explicit, deterministic model integrated in SI units. Values are labelled as user input, external data, assumption, estimate or calculated result. Simplified models are educational approximations, not engineering-grade predictions.