Question

A car is traveling at 30 m/s and about to impact on a wall. What change would result in the safest outcome for the passengers in the car?

Answer 1

An increase in the stopping time (collision time) of the car.

Step-by-step explanation:

The force exerted on the passenger during the collision is given by:

`F=(\Delta p)/(\Delta t)`

where
`\Delta p` is the variation in momentum of the passenger and
`\Delta t` is the stopping time. From this equation, we see that the force is inversely proportional to the duration of the collision: therefore, if the stopping time
`\Delta t` is increased (and this is what an airbag does), then the force exerted on the passenger is decreased.