Question

While waiting in their car at a stoplight, an 80-kg person and their car are suddenly accelerated to a speed of 5 m/s in 0.3 seconds as the result of a rear-end collision.

What is the impulse on the person?
a. 400 kg.m/s
b. 24 kg-m/s
c. 1333.33 kg.m/s
d. 16.67 kg-m/s"

Answer 1

The impulse experienced by the person is 400 kg.m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

The impulse experienced by an object is equal to the change in momentum of the object. Impulse is equal to the force applied to the object multiplied by the time interval in which the force is applied. In this case, the force exerted on the person is equal to the mass of the person multiplied by the acceleration experienced by the person during the collision. The final velocity is given, so we can use the formula:

Impulse = force x time = mass x (final velocity - initial velocity)

Using the given values, we can calculate the impulse:

Impulse = 80 kg x (5 m/s - 0 m/s) = 400 kg.m/s

Therefore, the impulse on the person is 400 kg.m/s (option a).