Answer to Question #246053 in Physics for Uio

Question

1. You are a civil engineer and one thing that you needed to ensure is the quality and the necessary materials for a project. Explain interms of impulse how padding reduces forces in a collision. State this interms of a real example, such as the advantages of a carpeted vs. tile floor for a day care center.

Answer 1

Kids run, jump, and fall a lot. The padding reduces the consequences of falling on the floor: the time it takes to reach the hard surface below the carpet increases, which reduces the impulse:

$$F=It,\\ F=I(↓)t(↑).$$