I suck at Physics (and you know how much) and I laughed at how stupid that is. But y'know, I've heard of the same story in China a few times, except with air-con.

You know, I think the 13th floor thing is more of a fad than anything. Our flat in Beijing has not only the 13th floor, but also the 4 and 14 removed from the lift buttons; y'see, 'four' has basically the same sound as 'death' in Chinese. This got into fashion a few years ago.