Rank of Automobile Safety Features in Collisions

What is the correct ranking of an automobile dashboard, seat belt, and airbag in terms of impulse and average force?

Which safety feature delivers the greatest impulse in a collision? And which one delivers the greatest average force to a front seat passenger?

A. the impulse dashboard > seat belt > air bag dashboard > air bag > seat belt seat belt > dashboard > air bag seat belt > air bag > dashboard air bag > dashboard > seat belt all three are the same B. the average force each delivers to a front seat passenger dashboard > seat belt > air bag dashboard > air bag > seat belt seat belt > dashboard > air bag seat belt > air bag > dashboard air bag > dashboard > seat belt all three are the same

Answer:

The correct ranking from greatest to least in terms of impulse when used alone in separate collisions from the same speed is: dashboard > seat belt > air bag.

The correct ranking from greatest to least in terms of the average force each delivers to a front seat passenger is: dashboard > air bag > seat belt.

The impulse is equal to the change in momentum, so the object with the greatest impulse is the one that causes the greatest change in momentum. In a collision, the dashboard would cause the greatest change in momentum because it is stationary and the passenger is moving forward at the same speed as the car before the collision.

Regarding the rank in terms of the average force each delivers to a front seat passenger, it is as follows: dashboard > air bag > seat belt. The dashboard and air bag deliver a greater average force than the seat belt because they both act over a shorter amount of time. The seat belt is designed to stretch and slow the passenger's forward motion gradually, which reduces the average force.

Therefore, the correct option for the given problem is "dashboard > seat belt > air bag" for impulse, and "dashboard > air bag > seat belt" for average force.

Final answer: The correct ranking from greatest to least in terms of impulse when used alone in separate collisions from the same speed is: dashboard > seat belt > air bag.

The correct ranking from greatest to least in terms of impulse when used alone in separate collisions from the same speed is dashboard > seat belt > air bag. Impulse is the change in momentum of an object and is equal to the net force applied to the object multiplied by the time over which the force is applied. In the case of a collision, the impulse experienced by an occupant will depend on how long the force acts on them.

A dashboard provides a longer collision time compared to a seat belt, which in turn provides a longer collision time compared to an airbag. Therefore, the impulse experienced by an occupant will be greatest with a dashboard, followed by the seat belt, and then the airbag.