When rollerblading, why is a fall less harmful on a wooden floor than on a concrete floor that has less give? Explain in terms of impulse and momentum.
The reason behind the fact that it is less harmful to fall on a wooden floor than on a concrete floor.
Answer to Problem 1TE
The reason behind the fact that it is less harmful to fall on a wooden floor that on a concrete floor is that wooden floor increases the time of impact resulting in less injury.
Explanation of Solution
A person gains momentum while doing the rollerblading because of its mass and velocity.
Write the expression for the impulse.
Here,
Write the alternative expression for the impulse.
Here,
Equate the above two equations for change in momentum.
As the final momentum of the body becomes zero when the person falls on the floor, the final velocity is zero which means the final momentum will also be zero.
Substitute
From the above expression, it can be seen that the impact force experienced by the person is inversely proportional to the time interval. When a person falls while doing rollerblading, momentum changes to zero. So when he/she falls on a concrete floor, the time of impact will be much shorter, due to which a greater amount of force is exerted by the floor on the person. Since the impact force is higher, the person will face more injury. Whereas, when he/she falls on a wooden floor, the impact time is longer as the wooden floor is softer than concrete. This will result in a smaller amount of impact force on the person, which will cause less injury.
Conclusion:
Therefore, the reason behind the fact that it is less harmful to fall on a wooden floor that on a concrete floor is that wooden floor increases the time of impact resulting in less injury.
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