Force and Impact
Force and impact is how hard something hits when it lands or crashes into something else.
Drop a heavy block onto a soft pillow. The block hits hard and pushes deep into the pillow. A light block dropped from the same height makes a smaller dent. The heavier the block, the greater the force at impact.
Explaining force and impact by grade level
When you drop an egg, it hits the ground hard and cracks. That hit is the impact. A soft pad can slow the egg down. When the egg slows down, the hit feels less strong, so the egg stays safe.
Projects that explore force and impact
How much of a blow actually reaches your head depends on what absorbs it first. In this experiment, you pump the padding inside four plastic helmets to different air pressures — from 10 to 50 mmHg — then drop a weight onto each one from a pulley. An accelerometer probe inside a Styrofoam simulated head measures the force that gets through. At 50 mmHg, the padding absorbs enough energy that the impact force drops to just 10 Newtons.
When something falls and hits the ground, padding can soften the blow. You build a case around a raw egg. Then you drop it from a high point. Materials like bubble wrap or balloons cushion the egg from the hit. The test is simple: crack or no crack.