How would it help if bendy lampposts buckled?

Question

I am doing a science paper and one of the resources is about bendy lampposts. I understand the benefits if they bend but how does it help if the buckle?

Surely that just means that the car can keep going and drive into what ever is behind it, possible with the speed being reduced slightly.

Also part of the idea is that the car rides up along the lamppost however, how would this work? Surely the lamppost is too thin for the car to ride up it and even so wouldn't the lamppost have to fall at an angle and not flat?

Answer 1

hey,

I'm doing that paper tomorrow, its really hard to revise for but basically it absorbs the kinetic energy increasing the amount of time it takes for the car to stop, so it reduces the impact on the person inside which is nice because then you wouldn't get killed. :P oh and if it rides up the lamppost the energy turns into gpe slowing it down and finally making it stop and because the weight of the car is spread over the lamppost it would hold the cars weight and the stuff its made from is very Strong.

bee

xx

Answer 2

ive got this ideas in context exam thing tomoro and after hours of trying have discovered theirs no way you can really revise for this exam other than knowing all the equations you need like.. force=momentum/time and KE(joules)=1/2xmassxvelocity etc.. so long as you know these and how to use them you should be fine. most teachers are saying this exam isnt really about science as such, is more about general knowledge, opinions on issues and thinking about other factors such as how much these would cost? and will they benefit society? advantages.. disadvantages etc. but yeh, good luck to everyone in this exam and all the others.

becky x

Answer 3

hey, i think i'm doing the same science test as you,  the 21st century science ideas in context?

well anyways i think the fact that the lamppost is bendy means that if we use the formula to find out the change in momentum which is: change in momentum= force x time it is applied

this means that if the lamppost bends the impact time is increased, meaning the car is slowed down gradually rather than a sudden impact.

good luck in your test if it is today, i'm going to need it..

Answer 4

I'm also sitting this paper tomorrow, so I've done some research myself.

The formula for the force that the driver and passengers will feel during the crash is 'force=momentum/time' so if the lamppost buckles it will reduce the time of the crash. Seat belts and crumple zones work in the same way.

When the car rides up the lamppost, the change in gravitational potential energy (GPE) is also the change in kinetic energy (KE), so as it gains GPE it loses KE.

Answer 5

I am sitting the paper in 2 hours and also looking for info !.

good luck btw ! x*x

Answer 6

I'm doing that exam in about 1h and 10m....thanks for all the information..I'll need all the help i can get!

Answer 7

Now,if you are confused about the third type of lamp posts mentioned in the article,ie,the 'hinged and buckled', then the explanation is that,the car moves up along the line. This would convert the kinetic energy [ie,velocity] into gravitational potential energy [which is an energy an object has due to its gravitational effect]

Answer 8

People just need to stop hitting lampposts.

Answer 9

Im not a Scientist, but I do know that in a crash, something has to "give" and take the impact.

When designing any equipment operated by humans, safety has to be taken into consideration to protect us from harm as much as possible. You could say that laws do the same thing.

The post would be designed to bend and perhaps break off in order to prevent your vehicle from taking the majority of the shock of impact from the weight and thrust of your vehicle into that pole. Something has to "give", right? Better the pole than your vehicle being split in half.

Vehicles are designed by Engineers, and built to do the same thing.

As I said, Im no Scientist, but the laws of physics are omnipresent!

Answer 10

Hi Im doing that paper too...tomorrow!! its all about gravatational potential energy and kinetic energy. Good Luck x

Answer 11

yer im doing that too..... i think the thing is that there are two types or lamp posts. one bends at slow speeds, this absorbs the kinetic energy or snaps at high speeds also absorbing the kinetic energy. the other kind of lamp post is kinda the same. it sort of snaps i think, but because it is still attached it bends down to an angle say like 30 degrees of the ground, if the car is going fast enough it will be pushed up on to the post, because it is moving upwards the speed is reduced as it is transfer in to gravitational potential, this reduces the momentum and reduces the impact of suddenly stopping as it spreads it out over time, like the crumple zone on a car does.... well i dunno but thats just what i guessed. i found it hard to revise but i just typed the titles of the articles in to a search engine.... it works you find loadsa random stuff

Answer 12

I have never heard of the term "bendy" before but I have heard of "break away" and to answer your question, if a car did ride up against the pole the pole would just break from its base and fall most likely away from the moving car and not break.

Answer 13

this isnt going to help , but anyway, i'm writing the same paper tomorrow and its so hard to revise for it! the site i thought would be reliable (bitesize) has no information what soever that can help on any of the articles. so from what i've heard the best way to answer these questions will be using common sense eg thinking of advantages and dis'ads of bendy lampposts, anyway good luck with your exams , i dont think theres much revision you can do because you might revise for a certain question and in the exam you'll get something completley different.

Answer 14

the friction would slow the car down and as it went up the pole gravity would slow it down