Mary is driving on a straight road. Suddenly
a deer jumps out in front of her. Mary turns her car to the left to avoid the deer. Which best describes what happens to mary's head position if she is wearing her seatbelt?
A) mary's head moves to the left
b marys head moves to the right
c marys head moves forward
d marys head moves backwards
To determine what happens to Mary's head position when she turns her car to the left to avoid the deer while wearing her seatbelt, we can consider the principle of inertia. The best option that describes what happens to Mary's head position is:
C) Mary's head moves forward.
Explanation:
According to Newton's first law of motion, 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. When Mary turns her car to the left abruptly, her body continues to move forward due to its inertia while the car changes its direction. The seatbelt restrains her body and prevents it from continuing in a straight line, causing her head to move forward momentarily. This is often referred to as the "whiplash effect." Wearing a seatbelt helps to minimize the forward motion of the body in accidents or sudden stops, protecting the head and body from more severe injuries.