Question

During a collision, a 63.9-kilogram driver of a car moving at 24 m/s is brought to rest by an inflating airbag in 1.2 seconds. What is the magnitude of the force exerted on the driver by the airbag?

Answer 1

Hi there!

We can use impulse for this situation:

I = Δp = mΔv

Impulse = Force × time, so:

I = 63.9(24) = 1533.6 Ns

Find force by dividing by time:

I/t = 1533.6/1.2 = 1278 N