Impulse in Action!
Today we discussed the video on the physics of car crashes specifically trying to understand why the engine compartment in a car is designed to crumple in a head-on collision. The physics comes from the momentum principle:
Impulse = change in momentum
F(Dt) = m(Dv)
Where delta indicates a change in the quantity.
A superb method to see the effects of the impulse equation in real life is through a marshmallow shooter! It is clear that the marshmallow has a much larger change in momentum when shot through a long barrel (bigger delta t) than a short barrel (shorter delta t). We had a lot of fun!
