Question

A person is falling from a certain height. Which of the following is likely to happen?

(a) If he falls on cement floor, he gets more injuries

(b) If he falls on a heap of sand, he receives less injuries

(c) He gets the same injuries in both the cases

(d) He is unaffected

I got this question by my school teacher while I was bunking the class.

My question is based upon Gravity in chapter Laws of Motion of Engineering Physics I

Answer 1

The correct answer is (a) If he falls on cement floor, he gets more injuries

The explanation: In both cases, the impulse is the same. On the cemented floor, the person is topped abruptly. So the cemented floor exerts a large force of reaction causing him severe injuries. When he falls on a heap of sand, the sand yields under his weight. This decreases the force exerted by the floor on the person.