Question

How does a car safely transfer the kinetic energy of the passenger and the car?

Answer 1

Energy transfer is an extension of Newton’s Laws. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed; it can only be transferred. The moving body has energy, called kinetic energy, and this energy will be transferred into something else as the body slows. Likewise, the car crashing into you will transfer its kinetic energy to you. The other type of energy is potential energy, or stored energy. Think of a spring. When you pull it, you are storing energy. When you let it go, this potential energy is transferred into kinetic energy as motion. Car manufacturers engineer a purposeful flaw into the structure, the Crumble Zone. This Crumble Zone is a structurally assigned place for kinetic energy to be transferred into potential energy in the case of an accident. When two cars collide, the kinetic energy is used up to fold the metal of the auto, keeping the destructive energy out of the passengers. The same science is behind the recommendation that motorcyclists wear helmets and body armor. Auto crumble zones, as well as air bags, helmet foam and Kevlar, are all methods for converting harmful kinetic energy into safe potential energy.