Question

Q/C A man claims that he can hold onto a 12.0 -kg child in a head-on collision as long as he has his seat belt on. Consider this man in a collision in which he is in one of two identical cars each traveling toward the other at 60.0m/h relative to the ground. The car in which he rides is brought to rest in 0.10s . (c) What does the answer to this problem say about laws requiring the use of proper safety devices such as seat belts and special toddler seats?

Answer 1

The force exerted on the man in the collision is -7200 N. The negative sign indicates that the force is in the opposite direction of the velocity. This calculation demonstrates the importance of proper safety devices such as seat belts and special toddler seats.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the given information, we can calculate the force exerted on the man in the collision using the equation:

Force = mass x acceleration

First, we need to calculate the acceleration:

Acceleration = change in velocity / time = (final velocity - initial velocity) / time = (0 m/s - 60 m/s) / 0.10 s = -600 m/s2

Now, we can calculate the force:

Force = 12.0 kg x (-600 m/s2) = -7200 N

The negative sign indicates that the force is in the opposite direction of the velocity.

This calculation demonstrates the importance of proper safety devices such as seat belts and special toddler seats. The seat belt provides an extra force on the man in the opposite direction of the collision, helping to reduce the magnitude of the force he experiences. This can significantly decrease the risk of injury or harm in a collision.