Preliminary HSC Physics Research Task
Preliminary HSC Physics Research Task
Part 1 - Inertia
Inertia is what keeps an object in its rest state or moving at constant velocity. In other words, it is the tendency for objects to resist a change in their motion. The only thing inertia depends on is the mass of the object, so heavier objects have more inertia and it is harder to change its motion. When you accelerate quickly, you get pushed back against the seat. Because of inertia, your body keeps traveling at the same velocity as before the acceleration. Inertia can also be experienced when the car turns sharply and you get pushed to the opposite side because the body wants to continue in a straight line. This tendency (for objects to be kept in its rest state or keep moving at its …show more content…
previous velocity) is what is called inertia. i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
Part 2 - Newton's First Law of Motion in real world situations
Newton's First Law of Motion states that for an object to change its velocity, a force has to be applied.
If we lived in a frictionless world (or in space), it would be easier to see Newton's First Law of Motion applied. Objects would always follow the Law of Inertia and resist change in their motion. But on earth we experience external forces like friction and gravity. Therefore, objects do not always keep in their rest state or continue moving at constant velocity, and in the real world the law does not hold perfectly true.
To give an example: If a ball is rolling on the ground, it will not keep its velocity forever. the friction and the gravity will make it slow down, and it will eventually lose all of its …show more content…
speed.
Part 3 - Safety Features
1. Low speed zones in built-up areas
These help reduce the risk of high speed collisions. The higher the speed, the bigger the momentum and hence, the impact if the car collides. The table to the right illustrates how effective this can be in reducing injury and saving lives.
2. Crumple zones in vehicles
Modern cars have crumple zones in the back and front. these are made to deal with the impact so that the passengers do not get squished by the impact from the car's momentum.
3. Airbags
When a car crashes, inertia kicks in, and passengers will continue with the same velocity as before. Soft bags in front of the passengers get filled with air automatically to make their crash a bit more comfortable and less dangerous. Modern vehicles are equipped with airbags on both of the front seats, as well as side impact airbags. they even have sensors to determine exactly what power at which to inflate.
4. Seat belts
The seat belts were introduced in 1966, and has since saved many lives. The purpose of seat belts is to prevent passengers from flying through the front window, which would happen during a crash without seat belts due to inertia.
Part 4 - Safety Features/Technologies in Motor Vehicles
a) Some safety features and technologies found in motor vehicles are seat belts, air bags, crumple zones, antilock brakes, lights, padded knee bolsters and auto dimming mirrors.
b) I explained how airbags work in part 3.
Airbags are very effective in saving lives; you are 30% less likely to die in a front end collision because of them. However, they are not made for small people and can therefore sometimes work against their purpose. There have been many instances of children getting injured by airbags, and 284 were killed between 1990 and 2004 by airbags. Luckily, there is a solution to this problem. Many cars are equipped with an on/off switch for the airbags, so you can turn them off if children are sitting in the front seat. Some cars also have sensors that determine whether or not the airbags should be used based on the passenger's weight. In the end, airbags have saved many more people than they have injured, and they are one of the most important car safety features.
Seat belts are designed to retain passengers in their seats during a collision to reduce the risk of injury. Being ejected during a collision is dangerous, 3 out of 4 of people who are ejected die from their injuries. Seat belts are therefore a very effective way of reducing the risk of injury and death. As you can see from the graphic to the right, they reduce the risk of death during a crash by 45% and the risk of serious injury by 50%. There are still some cons of wearing seat belts. Sometimes, during certain types of collisions, the seat belts cause further injury.
Lap only seat belts are less safe and can cause injury. luckily, modern cars have three-point seat belts that distribute
the impact to a larger area of the body.
Sources:
Carfax, 2015, Top 5 Car Safety Features, online video, 6 February, viewed 13 August 2015, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KV2cXxpHa58
Fitty Ditty, K 2014, 'Pros and Cons of Buckling Up' viewed 13 August 2015, http://www.speeduptraffic.org/tag/pros-and-cons-of-seat-belts/
Zakhareuski, A (2009): 'Top 10 Vehicle Safety Devices You Need To Be Aware Of' viewed 13 August 2015, http://find-a-driving-school.ca/top-10-vehicle-safety-devices-aware/
Part 1 - Inertia
Inertia is what keeps an object in its rest state or moving at constant velocity. In other words, it is the tendency for objects to resist a change in their motion. The only thing inertia depends on is the mass of the object, so heavier objects have more inertia and it is harder to change its motion. When you accelerate quickly, you get pushed back against the seat. Because of inertia, your body keeps traveling at the same velocity as before the acceleration. Inertia can also be experienced when the car turns sharply and you get pushed to the opposite side because the body wants to continue in a straight line. This tendency (for objects to be kept in its rest state or keep moving at its …show more content…
previous velocity) is what is called inertia. i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
Part 2 - Newton's First Law of Motion in real world situations
Newton's First Law of Motion states that for an object to change its velocity, a force has to be applied.
If we lived in a frictionless world (or in space), it would be easier to see Newton's First Law of Motion applied. Objects would always follow the Law of Inertia and resist change in their motion. But on earth we experience external forces like friction and gravity. Therefore, objects do not always keep in their rest state or continue moving at constant velocity, and in the real world the law does not hold perfectly true.
To give an example: If a ball is rolling on the ground, it will not keep its velocity forever. the friction and the gravity will make it slow down, and it will eventually lose all of its …show more content…
speed.
Part 3 - Safety Features
1. Low speed zones in built-up areas
These help reduce the risk of high speed collisions. The higher the speed, the bigger the momentum and hence, the impact if the car collides. The table to the right illustrates how effective this can be in reducing injury and saving lives.
2. Crumple zones in vehicles
Modern cars have crumple zones in the back and front. these are made to deal with the impact so that the passengers do not get squished by the impact from the car's momentum.
3. Airbags
When a car crashes, inertia kicks in, and passengers will continue with the same velocity as before. Soft bags in front of the passengers get filled with air automatically to make their crash a bit more comfortable and less dangerous. Modern vehicles are equipped with airbags on both of the front seats, as well as side impact airbags. they even have sensors to determine exactly what power at which to inflate.
4. Seat belts
The seat belts were introduced in 1966, and has since saved many lives. The purpose of seat belts is to prevent passengers from flying through the front window, which would happen during a crash without seat belts due to inertia.
Part 4 - Safety Features/Technologies in Motor Vehicles
a) Some safety features and technologies found in motor vehicles are seat belts, air bags, crumple zones, antilock brakes, lights, padded knee bolsters and auto dimming mirrors.
b) I explained how airbags work in part 3.
Airbags are very effective in saving lives; you are 30% less likely to die in a front end collision because of them. However, they are not made for small people and can therefore sometimes work against their purpose. There have been many instances of children getting injured by airbags, and 284 were killed between 1990 and 2004 by airbags. Luckily, there is a solution to this problem. Many cars are equipped with an on/off switch for the airbags, so you can turn them off if children are sitting in the front seat. Some cars also have sensors that determine whether or not the airbags should be used based on the passenger's weight. In the end, airbags have saved many more people than they have injured, and they are one of the most important car safety features.
Seat belts are designed to retain passengers in their seats during a collision to reduce the risk of injury. Being ejected during a collision is dangerous, 3 out of 4 of people who are ejected die from their injuries. Seat belts are therefore a very effective way of reducing the risk of injury and death. As you can see from the graphic to the right, they reduce the risk of death during a crash by 45% and the risk of serious injury by 50%. There are still some cons of wearing seat belts. Sometimes, during certain types of collisions, the seat belts cause further injury.
Lap only seat belts are less safe and can cause injury. luckily, modern cars have three-point seat belts that distribute
the impact to a larger area of the body.
Sources:
Carfax, 2015, Top 5 Car Safety Features, online video, 6 February, viewed 13 August 2015, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KV2cXxpHa58
Fitty Ditty, K 2014, 'Pros and Cons of Buckling Up' viewed 13 August 2015, http://www.speeduptraffic.org/tag/pros-and-cons-of-seat-belts/
Zakhareuski, A (2009): 'Top 10 Vehicle Safety Devices You Need To Be Aware Of' viewed 13 August 2015, http://find-a-driving-school.ca/top-10-vehicle-safety-devices-aware/