Conceptual Physics: The High School Physics Program
Conceptual Physics: The High School Physics Program
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780133647495
Author: Paul G. Hewitt
Publisher: Prentice Hall
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Chapter 3, Problem 33A

Many automobile passengers suffer neck injuries when struck by cars from behind. How does Newton’s law of inertia apply here? How do headrests help to guard against this type of injury?

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark
To determine

The application of Newton’s law of inertia in explaining neck injuries and role of headrest in guarding against this type of injury.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

As per Newton’s law of inertia, a body resists any change in its state of rest or motion.

When a car experiences a sudden jerk from behind due to collision with other car, the part of the body that is in direct contact with the car suffers a change in velocity due to the external force applied by the other car from behind. The neck is not in direct contact with the car, so it keeps moving with the same velocity as before the collision but the upper and lower part of the body move at different velocity, hence the neck experience a sudden jerk in backward direction resulting in injury.

The headrest helps in avoiding this type of injury by providing a support in contact with the neck and the car. So, the whole body of the passenger comes in contact with the car and moves with the car.

Conclusion:

Hence, Newton’s law of inertia explains the reason for neck injuries and headrest can be used to avoid this type of injury.

Chapter 3 Solutions

Conceptual Physics: The High School Physics Program

Ch. 3 - What is the tendency of a moving object when no...Ch. 3 - What relationship does mass have with inertia?Ch. 3 - What does it mean to say mass and weight are...Ch. 3 - When does an object with twice the mass of another...Ch. 3 - What do you feel when you shake some-thing to and...Ch. 3 - What is the standard (or SI) unit of measurement...Ch. 3 - What is the standard (or SI) unit of measurement...Ch. 3 - What is the weight of a 1-kg brick?Ch. 3 - How fast are you moving relative to Earth when you...Ch. 3 - If you're in a smooth-riding bus that is going at...Ch. 3 - Different materials rest on a table. a. From...Ch. 3 - The three pucks are sliding across ice at the...Ch. 3 - If a woman has a mass of 50 kg, calculate her...Ch. 3 - Calculate in newtons the weight of a 2000-kg...Ch. 3 - Calculate in newtons the weight of a 2.5-kg melon....Ch. 3 - An apple weighs about 1 N. What is its mass in...Ch. 3 - Susie Small finds she weighs 300 N. Calculate her...Ch. 3 - A bowling ball rolling along a lane gradually...Ch. 3 - When a ball rolls down an inclined plane, it gains...Ch. 3 - Jacob gives his skateboard a push and it rolls...Ch. 3 - A space probe can be carried by a rocket into...Ch. 3 - In an orbiting spacecraft, you are handed two...Ch. 3 - Many automobile passengers suffer neck injuries...Ch. 3 - Tim practices a demonstration before doing it for...Ch. 3 - Suppose you place a ball in the middle of a wagon...Ch. 3 - To pull a wagon across a lawn with constant...Ch. 3 - When a junked car is crushed into a compact cube,...Ch. 3 - If an elephant were chasing you, its enormous mass...Ch. 3 - When you compress a sponge, which quantity...Ch. 3 - Which has more mass, a 2-kg fluffy pillow or a...Ch. 3 - Is it more accurate to say that a dieting person...Ch. 3 - A massive ball is suspended on a string and slowly...Ch. 3 - The head of a hammer is loose and you wish to...Ch. 3 - As Earth rotates about its axis, it takes three...Ch. 3 - Prob. 45ACh. 3 - A stone is shown at rest on the ground. a. The...Ch. 3 - Here a stone is suspended at rest by a string. a....Ch. 3 - Here a stone is being accelerated vertically...Ch. 3 - Suppose the string in the figure in Question 48...Ch. 3 - Here is a stone sliding down a friction-free...Ch. 3 - Calculate your own mass in kilograms and your...Ch. 3 - A medium-size American automobile has a weight of...Ch. 3 - What is the weight in newtons of an automobile...Ch. 3 - If a woman weighed 500 N on Earth, what would she...Ch. 3 - Gravitational force on the moon is only 1/6 that...Ch. 3 - Grandparents are interested in the educational...
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