Question

The rising concern among athletic trainers and health advocates (and parents) regarding concussions and multiple concussions among high school football players has prompted numerous studies of the effectiveness of protective head gear and the forces and accelerations experienced by players. One study suggested that there is a 50% chance of concussions for impacts rated at 75 g's of acceleration (i.e., 75 multiplied by 9.8 m/s/s). The average head impact in football results in 22 to 24 g's of acceleration ... but not all head impacts are equal.

If a player's head mass (with helmet) is 5.41 kg and considered to be a free body, then what net force would be required to produce an acceleration of 75 g's?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Given:

m = 5.41 kg

g = 9.8 m/s² - acceleration of gravity

a = 75·g = 75·9.8 ≈ 735 m/s²

__________________

F - ?

Newton's second law:

F = m·a

F = 5.41·735 ≈ 3 980 N