Question

A car traveling at 28.0 m/s hits a bridge abutment. A passenger in the car, who has a mass of 45.0 kg, moves forward a distance of 55.0 cm while being brought to rest by an inflated air bag. Assuming that the force that stops the passenger is constant, what is the magnitude of force acting on the passenger?

Answer 1

Answer:

The force acting on the passenger is 32072.4 N

Explanation:

It is given that,

Initial speed of the car, u = 28 m/s

Finally, the car comes to rest, v = 0

Distance covered by the car, d = 55 cm = 0.55 m

Mass of the passenger, m = 45 kg

Let a is the acceleration of the car. Using equation of motion as :

$v^2-u^2=2ad$

$0-u^2=2ad$        

$a=\dfrac{-u^2}{2d}$

$a=\dfrac{-(28)^2}{2(0.55)}$

$a=-712.72 m/s^2$

Let F is the force acting on the passengers. It can be calculated as :

$F=ma$

$F=45(712.72)$

F = 32072.4 N

Hence, this is the required solution.