Answer to Question #281265 in Physics for Reinn

Question

Why can a squirrel jump from a tree branch to the ground and run away undamaged, while a

human could break a bone in such a fall?

Answer 1

Because the bones of squirrels and men have similar mechanical properties (rigidity, density, Young's modulus), but the masses of the bodies are way different. So, heavier impacts apply to the same 'material' when we compare people and squirrels, that is why the consequences of such impacts are different as well.