when a 100 m runner reached the finish line , the runner stopped suddenly and fell on the ground . explain the situation using the appropriate physics concep
The situation can be explained using the physics concept of inertia. Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist any change in its state of motion. When the runner reaches the finish line and suddenly stops, their body tries to continue moving forward due to inertia. However, the ground exerts an equal and opposite force on the runner, causing them to decelerate rapidly.
The force of friction between the runner’s feet and the ground acts in the opposite direction to their initial motion, making the runner slow down. However, stopping abruptly results in an unbalanced force acting on the runner, causing them to lose balance and fall to the ground.
Additionally, the momentum of the runner plays a role in this situation. Momentum is the product of an object’s mass and its velocity. As the runner’s velocity decreases rapidly while the mass remains the same, the momentum decreases.
The sudden stop after crossing the finish line leads to a rapid decrease in velocity and momentum, resulting in the runner losing their balance and falling to the ground.