Final answer:
In a motor vehicle collision, energy transfer results in the deformation of the vehicle structure, deployment of airbags, and acceleration of the occupants. The concept of impulse is key to understanding these impacts as it reduces injury by extending the time over which forces act on passengers, lessening the overall force experienced by occupants.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three separate impacts of energy transfer in a motor vehicle collision are: deformation of the vehicle structure, deployment of airbags, and acceleration of the occupants. The concept of impulse, which is the product of the net force and the time over which it acts (Fnet ∆t), plays a crucial role in understanding these impacts. The crumpling of vehicle parts increases the duration of the collision thereby reducing the force experienced by the passengers according to the relationship Fnet = ∆p/∆t, where ∆p is the change in momentum.
Airbags work on the same principle by extending the collision time, which reduces the force exerted on the passengers (impulse). The longer duration over which the force acts leads to a safer deceleration for the occupants. Knowing that the impulse is the same whether airbags are deployed or not, we understand that it's the extension of the time over which the force is applied that lessens the impact.
As for the acceleration of the occupants, they experience forces due to Newton's first law of motion, where an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by another force. In a collision, it is the seat belts and airbags that act to change the occupants' state of motion, and by extending the time over which this change happens, they effectively reduce the forces acting on the occupants, contributing to reduced injuries.