Momentum and Impulse
A good way to insure that an egg dropped onto a flexible surface will not break is to increase/decrease the stopping distance which will increase/decrease the stopping time?
probably. which do you think?
and that's "ensure" in this context, not "insure."
I know it’s increasing the stopping time so that force will decrease, but I’m not sure about distance, maybe increase the distance so there’s more time? But I’m not sure how that would tie into the formula I’m using for impulse over time = force.
I agree. Less force means more time taken to reduce the velocity. Since the same KE has to be stopped, that means more distance is needed to apply the force.
To determine whether increasing or decreasing the stopping distance will help prevent an egg from breaking when dropped onto a flexible surface, we need to consider the concepts of momentum and impulse.
Momentum is the product of an object's mass and velocity. In the case of the egg, when it is dropped, it has a certain momentum given by the equation:
Momentum (p) = mass (m) * velocity (v)
Impulse, on the other hand, is the change in momentum of an object when a force is applied over a certain period of time. It is calculated using the equation:
Impulse (J) = force (F) * time (Δt)
Now, let's see how momentum and impulse are related to the scenario of dropping an egg onto a flexible surface.
When the egg hits the surface, its momentum changes due to the forces involved. To minimize the force exerted on the egg and reduce the risk of it breaking, we need to increase the time over which the contact occurs, thus decreasing the rate of change of momentum (impulse).
By increasing the stopping time, the force acting on the egg during the collision is spread out over a longer duration. This reduces the peak force experienced by the egg, making it less likely to break.
Therefore, to insure that the egg doesn't break, we need to increase the stopping distance, which in turn increases the stopping time. This allows for a gentler collision, reducing the chance of the egg breaking.