Why do airbags make a car safer

In a car crash the car decelerates really quickly. If there is no air bag your head continues to travel at the same speed as before until it hits the dash board and decelerates really quickly upon impact, since Force= mass x acceleration (F=ma), this results in a large force being applied to your head which is very damaging.

An airbag puts a soft material between your head and the dashbord which causes your head to decelerate over a longer time and so at a slower rate this causes the force on your head to decrease which makes injury less likely or less severe

Answered by Vedant B. Physics tutor

1948 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A speaker emits a sound wave through a metallic block, with a speed of 0.42 km/s, and a frequency of 16kHz. Calculate the wavelength to 3.s.f. Describe the characteristics of a longitudinal wave.


Give three properties that are the same for radio waves and microwaves


It takes 4200 Joules to heat up 1 kg of water by 1 C^o. If you have a kettle with a power of 2500 Watts, how long will it takes to boil 0.8 kg of water from an initial temperature of 25 C^o to the nearest second??


An Electric Kettle is used to boil water. After the water is boiled, the temperature of the water decreases by 22C. The mass of water in the kettle is 0.50 kg. The specific heat capacity of water is 4200 J/kg C. Calculate the energy transferred.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences