Using a handy-dandy online calculator, we find that a 15 lb bowling ball has a terminal velocity of about 200.171 ft/sec. It would take approximately 400 meters for the ball to reach that velocity unimpeded by weather (and finger holes). Since the Sears Tower comes in at about 412 meters, I figure the bowling ball will strike the ground at terminal velocity.
The resultant shrapnel could be harmful/fatal to anyone within a few meters of the impact point. At the speed indicated, it would probably pass through an automobile entirely (roof and floorboard). A direct hit to a human would have the unfortunate result of pushing the victim's brain out his rectum.
All told, under controlled circumstances it would be quite interesting to watch, especially with high-speed cameras. Not something you'd want to do on a sunny Chicago afternoon with pedestrians and traffic below.
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ScolaÃ)O("Get all the fools on your side, and you can be elected to anything." ~Frank Dane
Weighting On 40 - Weight Loss for the Thirty-something Crowd
