A car traveling about 50km/h collides head-on with something solid. The car crumples, slows down and stops. Use the law of inertia to explain why a crash dummy not restrained by a seat belt in the car slams into the steering wheel.

What's the Law of Inertia say? That an object in motion tends to stay in motion until acted upon by an outside forcew.

The car is traveling at 50 km/hr so the dummy, the car seats, the belts, the steering wheel and everything in the car is also traveling at 50 km/hr. When the car crashes into an at rest object it stops but the dummy is still moving. It moves into the steering wheel. Any passenger in the other seat slams into the dashboard or is sent head first through the windshield.

The Law of Inertia, also known as Newton's First Law of Motion, states that an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion with the same speed and direction unless acted upon by an external force. In the case of a car accident, the car, as well as everything inside it, including the crash dummy, is initially in motion at a speed of about 50 km/h.

When the car collides head-on with something solid, the car suddenly stops due to the application of an external force. However, according to the Law of Inertia, the crash dummy inside the car will continue to move forward at the velocity it was traveling before the collision since it lacks any external force acting upon it.

As a result, the crash dummy will experience what is known as "inertia" and slam into the steering wheel. This happens because the dummy's body tends to maintain its state of motion, so when the car suddenly decelerates, the dummy continues moving forward until it is stopped by the steering wheel. This demonstrates the importance of wearing a seat belt, as it helps restrain the person or dummy inside the car to prevent them from continuing their forward motion in the event of a collision.

The law of inertia, stated by Sir Isaac Newton, says that an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. In the scenario you mentioned, the car is traveling at 50km/h (which means it's in motion) and abruptly collides head-on with something solid.

When the car collides, a tremendous force is generated, causing an abrupt change in its motion. However, the crash dummy inside the car tends to maintain its current state of motion due to inertia. Since it wasn't restrained by a seat belt, the dummy will keep moving forward at 50km/h even after the car comes to a stop.

In the absence of external forces, the dummy continues moving forward, and since there is no restraint to prevent it, it collides with the stationary steering wheel. This collision occurs because the dummy wants to continue moving forward due to its inertia. Therefore, it slams into the steering wheel with considerable force.

A seat belt is designed to restrain the dummy by exerting an external force on it, thereby countering the effect of inertia. By doing so, it prevents the dummy from continuing its forward motion and reduces the potential for injury during a collision.