Discussion

1. Did changing who was pulling have any effect on what happened?
2. How do the masses of the people affect their respective accelerations?
3. How do the forces on each person compare? (Hint: Think of Newton’s third law.)
4. Use Newton’s second law to explain why the same force can produce different accelerations.
5. Draw a diagram showing the action and reaction forces that acted on the two people. Don’t forget to include
the action/reaction forces involving the force of gravity and the chair.

9.7 Exercise: Remember and think

To answer questions online and to receive immediate feedback and sample responses for every question, go
to your learnON title at www.jacplus.com.au. Note: Question numbers may vary slightly.

Remember
1. Recall Newton’s Third Law of Motion.
2. Give three examples of force pairs. Be sure to state what each force is acting on.

Think
3. When you walk forwards, identify what force provides the forward push.
4. Describe in what way rockets are similar to jet engines. In what way are they different?
5. When Dina turned on the water to her hose without holding onto the end of it, the water rushed out of the hose
nozzle and the hose itself started to snake around the yard. Explain why the hose moved around like this.
6. Every time Dylan takes his dog Frisbee for a walk, the dog always pulls hard on the leash. This nearly pulls
Dylan’s arm out of its socket and Frisbee almost chokes himself! Explain these effects in terms of Newton’s
third law.
7. How do cricketers reduce the impact of the force on their hand when they catch a fast moving cricket ball?

Investigate
8. Investigate how a hovercraft works. What force pairs are involved in its operation?
9. Test your ability to identify Newton’s Laws in action by completing the Time Out ‘Newton’s Laws’
interactivity in the Resources tab.

RESOURCES — ONLINE ONLY

Try out this interactivity: Time Out ‘Newton’s Laws’ (int-0055)

Complete this digital doc: Worksheet 9.4: Newton’s Third Law (doc-12794)

9.8 Making cars safer

9.8.1 Inertia and car design
In 1970, there were about 6 million vehicles being driven on Australia’s roads. During that year 3798
people lost their lives in road accidents. Now there are about 14 million vehicles on Australia’s roads. Yet
the number of lives lost each year in road accidents now averages about 1400.
One of the key reasons for the reduction in the road toll is that the cars we drive today are safer than ever
before. Cars are designed by engineers who use scientific principles and experimental testing to make cars
more efficient and, most importantly, safer.
Safety features such as seatbelts, collapsible steering wheels, padded dashboards, head restraints, airbags
and crumple zones have to be tested by engineers before being introduced. The testing continues after
introduction as car manufacturers strive to make each new model even safer.

TOPIC 9 On the move 363

 Testing of safety features involves deliberately crashing cars with
Crash test dummies are
‘crash test dummies’ as occupants. The dummies are constructed to used to model the effects of
resemble the human body and numerous sensors are used to detect and collisions on the human body.
measure the effects of a collision.
Before real crash testing takes place, engineers use computer model-
ling to simulate crashes with ‘virtual’ cars.
Most deaths and serious injuries in road accidents are caused when the
occupants collide with the interior of the vehicle or are ‘thrown’ from
the vehicle. In a head-on collision the vehicle stops suddenly. However,
unrestrained occupants continue to move at the pre-collision velocity of
the vehicle until they collide with the steering wheel, dashboard or wind-
screen. Seatbelts provide a restraining force on the occupants so that they
don’t continue moving forwards, potentially injuring themselves. Front
airbags reduce injuries caused by collisions between the upper body
(which is still moving) and the steering wheel, dashboard or windscreen.
Side airbags are standard safety features in most cars today. They pro-
tect occupants in the event of a side-on collision. The more recent airbag
technology measures the size of the
impact and delays inflation until just
the right moment. These improve- Computer modelling allows engineers to study the forces acting on
virtual crash test dummies to assess trauma in crash test situations.
ments are the direct result of com- Modelling allows engineers to study the effects of slight changes to a
puter modelling and crash testing. multitude of variables such as seatbelt position, airbag size etc. in an
Head restraints on seats reduce effort to design the best possible safety features.
neck and spinal injuries, especially in
a vehicle that is struck from behind
by another vehicle. An impact from
the rear pushes a vehicle forwards
suddenly. Your body is pushed
forwards by your seat. However,
without a head restraint, your head
remains where it was. The sudden
strain on your neck can cause serious
spinal injuries. Neck injuries caused
this way are often referred to as
whiplash injuries. Some new cars
have head restraints that automati-
cally move forward and up when a
collision occurs.

9.8.2 The zone

defence
The occupants of a car sit in a
very strong and rigid ‘protection
zone’ designed to prevent outside
objects (including the car’s engine,
other cars and tree trunks) from entering the passenger compartment and causing injuries during a colli-
sion. The roof panel is supported by strong columns to make it less likely to be crushed.
The rigid passenger compartment is flanked by crumple zones at the front and rear of the vehicle. These zones
are deliberately designed to crumple, absorbing and spreading much of the energy transferred to the vehicle during

364 Jacaranda Core Science Stage 5

a collision. As a result, less energy
A stationary car is struck from behind by another vehicle. Without a
is transferred to the compartment head restraint, your head remains at rest and is pulled forwards by your
carrying the occupants, reducing neck as the car jerks forward, causing injury.
the chance of injuries. The crumple
zone also allows the vehicle to stop Car and seat
Head remains at rest.
pushed forward
more gradually. Without a crumple
zone, the vehicle would stop more
suddenly and perhaps even rebound.
As a result, occupants would make
contact with the interior at a greater
speed and there would be a greater
chance of serious injury or death.
The passenger compartment being tested.
The front crumple zone absorbs and spreads
energy. It also allows the car to stop more
gradually.

The rigid roof panel and strong pillars that

support it are part of the ‘protection zone’.

Car safety features employed in a frontal collision

Steering Passenger
column Airbag compartment
collapses remains intact
Crumple
zone

Engine
pushed
under
vehicle
Padded dashboard

9.8.3 How an airbag works

• The airbag is made of a thin, nylon fabric, which is folded into
the steering wheel, dashboard or doors. Airbag
• When a crash is sensed, the control unit sends an electrical Steering
signal to the inflator. A chemical reaction is initiated by the wheel
igniter, generating primarily nitrogen gas to fill the airbag, Inflated airbag
causing it to deploy.
Crash
• Airbags must inflate rapidly to decrease the risk of occupant
detector
injuries. From the beginning of the crash, the entire deploy-
ment process is about 50 milliseconds.

TOPIC 9 On the move 365

 9.8 Exercise: Remember and think
To answer questions online and to receive immediate feedback and sample responses for every question, go
to your learnON title at www.jacplus.com.au. Note: Question numbers may vary slightly.

Remember
1. Identify six safety features that are designed to make cars safer in the event of a collision.
2. Outline how engineers test vehicle safety features to make sure that they do what they are designed to do.
3. Describe what happens to the motion of an unrestrained occupant when a car suddenly stops because it
has collided head-on with another car or object.
4. Explain how each of the following features protects occupants during a collision.
(a) Seatbelts
(b) Airbags
(c) Head restraints
5. Recall what crumple zones are and describe how they protect the occupants of a vehicle during a collision.
6. Explain why it is important that there is a strong and rigid zone between the two crumple zones of a car.

Think
7. The safety features described in this section are designed to reduce the chances of serious injury or death
when a collision takes place. Scientists and engineers have designed many other safety features in cars and
other vehicles that reduce the chances of a collision actually taking place. Work in a group to brainstorm
these features and complete a table like the one that follows.
Some examples are included to help you get started.

Safety features designed to prevent collisions

Feature How the feature works

Tyre tread Increases friction and makes steering and braking more reliable, especially
in wet weather. The tread even pushes water out from beneath the tyre
when the road is wet.
Windscreen wipers Keeps the windscreen clear to ensure good visibility for the driver.
Speed alarm The driver selects a maximum speed. If that speed is exceeded an alarm
sounds, warning the driver to slow down.

Investigate
8. Use secondary sources to investigate the following:
(a) How anti-lock brake systems (ABS) make braking in an emergency situation safer
(b) The benefits of electronic stability control (ESC).
9. Design a car with state-of-the-art safety features. Create a poster or multimedia presentation to present
your car design and to showcase the safety features, explaining how they improve passenger safety with
reference to Newton’s laws of motion. The purpose of your poster/presentation is to convince safety
minded consumers to purchase your car, so referring to scientific principles will add credibility to your
sales pitch.

9.9 Project: Rock’n’roller-coaster

9.9.1 Scenario
Many psychologists think that the reason roller-coasters are so popular is tied up with the ‘rush’ that follows
stimulation of the fear response. When exposed to the combination of speed, noise, high hills, twists, loops
and steep descents of the ride, our brains tell us that there is some element of threat or danger. This triggers
our ‘fight or flight’ instinct, sending adrenaline coursing through our bodies in a way which many people

366 Jacaranda Core Science Stage 5