Yr 11 Physics help. stopping...

Question

The Physics of Stopping. i have to write an essay on this topic and have nearly finished it although I have to provide a brief summery of the physics concepts related to the statement: "safety is not related to how fast you travel, but how quickly you stop," also stating whether i agree or disagree with the statement. thank you for your help. it is greatly appreciated. i am not lazy but am falling behind so much after moving from the U.S to Australia.

Answer 1

Make sure u include inertia, thinking distance and braking distance in the essay as a whole. Also make sure u use the equation: force = change in momentum = (Mv - Mu)/ Time hence force is inversely proportional with time. So the more time u give, the smaller the force of impact (a good example here is airbags and seatbelts, they increase the time so the force that acts on u is smaller). As for the conclusion I think u should disagree with your statement by saying that how quickly u NEED to stop is completely related to how fast u r travelling. U didnt specify what form of travel ur concentrating on but assuming it's cars, u need to say that u either save the passerby and hurt ur self by braking very quickly and thus not giving much time for the force to decrease, or u brake slowly causing less damage to urself but more to the passerby. So it's always safer to travel more slowly. Hope this helps, good luck!