A person can stand at the top of a cliff or building and fall slowly and deliberately by pivoting forward about an axis through his/her feet. A second person can hasten the fall by pushing from behind, as shown in Fig. 3. An estimate of the launch speed can be obtained by assuming that a person in this situation behaves like a uniform, rigid rod of mass m and length L, with a center of mass at height h=L/2. Suppose that a horizontal force F is applied at a height d above the ground. If we assume that the rod pivots at angular velocity about an axis through the bottom end, then the equation of motion is given by F_d=I_0dω/dt, where I_0=mL^2 /3 is the moment of inertia about the axis at the bottom end. The center of mass rotates at speed V_cm=hω For small angles of rotation away from the vertical, F−F_r=mdV_cm/dt, where F_r is the horizontal static friction force acting at the bottom end of the rod. If F_r is less than μmg, where μ is the coefficient of static friction, then the bottom end of the rod will not slide but will pivot about a fixed axis. If the person is pushed at the center of percussion, which is at a height 4h/3 from the ground, F_r is zero. A