In terms of impulse and momentum why are air bags a good idea?

Answer 1

using newtons second law, force = mass * deceleration , if the deceleration is reduced so is the force, the airbag reduces deceleration. which can be very impressive if you use the steering wheel instead

Answer 2

It would be better to use newtons second law to explain this but okay. well newtons 1st law states that an object in motion will stay in motion unless stopped by a force. So, if your in the car going 40 miles an hour and you suddenly stop the car without slowing down, the car stops but you don't and you would keep going in the same speed and direction without the airbags there or a seatbelt you would fly right through the windshield so the airbag protects you from the objects you would slam into in a car crash.

Answer 3

The first law applies in this case. Something in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an external force.

The car and its contents are moving at a constant rate and everything is fine. When suddenly the brake is applied, the human body continues at the same speed that the car was travelling before the brake was applied.

Seat belts are the first line of injury prevention. They control and slow the forward motion of the body to lessen the force exerted on the body by absorbing some energy by stretching. The seat belt controls the body very well in an accident but has a minimal affect on the force/energy on the head in an accident. This is why accident victims usually sustain whiplash injures during a crash. The head is still moving forward while the seat belt slows the body putting severe strain on the neck. Your neck is the only thing slowing down your head. The forward motion can be great enough to the point where the head hits the steering wheel, causing severe injures.

The airbag is design to cushions this blow by actually catches the head and slowing it more gradually. It might seem extremely fast but this addition fraction of time can prevent serious brain injury. You can watch slow motion video and see how it vents the gases in a control deflation, giving the head more time to decelerate. If the bag didn't deflate it would actually be worse than have none at all. The reason for this is because the impact( with the bag) would be sooner than the steering wheel itself, with more energy still stored in the moving head, from not letting your neck slow it down more gradually.

Answer 4

Air bags are a good idea because they increase the time over which a collision occurs, reducing the force on occupants and thus decreasing the risk of injuries. This is due to the impulse-momentum theorem, which shows that for the same change in momentum, a longer time of impact results in a smaller force acting on the object.

Answer 5

The airbag slows you down more gradually, so the longer it takes for a change in momentum, the smaller the force. Therefore reducing this risk of a serious head injury.

Answer 6

in terms of impulse and momentum, why are air bags in automoblies a good idea?

Answer 7

The airbag swells with air so when the g force of the crash pushes the driver forward, it stop it from hitting the drivers head on the steering wheel.