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Cannonball Competition

With a little bit physics and math you can lay claim to that $1,000,000. The correct order of arrival is as follows:

#4 is the first to arrive. Without air resistance, he would arrive in about 14 seconds. Is the air resistance enough to allow the moon divers to pass him? Probably not, air resistance rises with velocity and this diver won't be anywhere near his terminal velocity of 300m/s when he hits the water.

#1 comes in second. His condition is the same as #4's but at a cooler temperature. Cooler air is denser, so more air resistance.

#5 comes in third. The moon's gravity is much weaker than the Earth's, so doesn't catch up with his terrestrial competitors even though he doesn't have to overcome air resistance. And of course, his parachute does nothing without an atmosphere. He lands about 35 seconds after jumping (gravity increases slightly as he descends, but not by much).

#3 comes in fourth. Again, the water temperature difference mean he trails #5 by a slight margin, almost certainly less than half a second later.

#2 comes in fifth. We don't specify the kind of parachute, but assuming it's one that slows the diver to a "safe" speed, he can't be moving more than a few meters per second. Even at 10 m/s, he'll come in over a minute later.

#6 and #7 tie for last, by failing to reach the bottom of the pool. #6 hits a massive block of ice with a bang (water is a solid at 25° F). #7 has a lot more mass than his competitors, but also a lot less density. In fact, he floats.

With these results, you can collect the $1 million jackpot. If inflation between now and then averaged 2.5% per year, this sum would have a pre-tax value of over two dollars in today's money.

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