What is Accident: Definition and 107 Discussions

An accident is an unplanned event that sometimes has inconvenient, undesirable or even disastrous consequences, other times being inconsequential. The occurrence of such an event may or may not have unrecognized or unaddressed risks contributing to its cause. Most scientists who study unintentional injury avoid using the term "accident" and focus on factors that increase risk of severe injury and that reduce injury incidence and severity.

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  1. dlgoff

    Highway Accident Report by NTSB Texting

    Highway Accident Report by NTSB...Texting It's about time. Discuss please. http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2011/gray_summit_mo/index.html
  2. T

    Accident Reconstruction, Vomhof equation?

    Hey Physics Forums, I am currently trying to wrap my brain around the physics of accident reconstruction. Specifically, determining the velocity of a vehicle that collided laterally with one or more "narrow" objects. Here is the info I have on the subject...
  3. D

    Snowmobile Accident on Ramsey Lake: Investigating Velocities

    Homework Statement There was a snowmobile accident on Ramsey Lake in Northern Ontario. A police officer arrives at the scene of the collision of the two snowmobiles to find both drivers unconscious. When the two vehicles collided, their skis became entangled and the two snowmobiles remained...
  4. K

    Neutralizing Nitric Acid in a Factory Accident: Choosing the Right Chemical

    In an accident at a factory, some nitric acid was split. Which substance then, when added in excess, would be the best chemical to neutralise the acid without leaving an alkaline solution? Calcium carbonate or sodium carbonate? I picked sodium carbonate but calcium carbonate is the best...
  5. jtbell

    Physics student dies in lab accident

    She caught her hair in a lathe in machine shop: Yale Student Killed as Hair Gets Caught in Lathe (New York Times)
  6. Loren Booda

    Motorcycle accident fatalities

    How many motorcyclists kill themselves in traffic accidents, compared to those killed by other drivers?
  7. H

    Investigating the accident.

    Homework Statement You arrive at the scene of an automobile accident and are asked to determine which, if any, of the cars was speeding. You immediately begin gathering information. The accident occurred on dry concrete and the tires of both cars are made of rubber. The coefficient of kinetic...
  8. C

    I need some ideas for a sci-fi essay related to the accident of a LHC.

    Hi all, I'm writing a sci-fi story for a competition, are there any more realistic ideas of what accident can LHC cause that has massive impact on the whole earth? currently, my idea is the formation of massive black holes from quantum ones which led to the Earth being swallowed. How...
  9. D

    Car Accident: Need Assistance Please

    Hi there! I am in need of assistance, please. My son was involved in a car accident, in which there was an obstacle in the road that caused traffic to suddenly stop, unexpectedly. He (from what he tells me) was paying attention and was slowed almost to a stop, when he was struck from behind...
  10. U

    Accident Reconstruction; Work-Energy Problem

    Homework Statement Accident Reconstruction. A car, with a mass of 1600 kg, is involved in a collision. By using techniques from later chapters, we conclude it was moving 4 m/s at impact. There are skid marks leading into the collision, 18 meters long from two of the tires; no marks from the...
  11. H

    How can I figure Crush on a vehicle accident?

    My truck was rear ended. It has a steel and chrome bumper, the vehicle that hit it has a soft bumper, and was traveling at 15 miles per hour. My bumper showed deformation by being bent in 1.27 cm and bent up 1.5 cm. The truck which was with the brakes on, also moved forward 6 inches. The soft...
  12. jtbell

    Freak Accident Causes Toenail Loss

    This morning, while walking around the house in stockinged feet, I banged my left big toe head on, full force, against the bottom rung of a ladder that my wife had lowered from the ceiling for access to our attic. That ladder comes down at a shallower angle than a normal ladder, and I apparently...
  13. K

    Velocity of Head from Car Accident

    My friend was in a head-on collision this week. They were traveling approximately 35 mph. A car collided with them head-on traveling at approximately 30 mph. The airbag deployed, and the impact caused a tremendous contusion on my friend's forehead, but no skull fractures. It's been years since...
  14. P

    Heuristic approach to the Schwarzschild geometry - Accident of deeper meaning?

    The Schwarzschild solution can be obtained by using Newton for the weak field. However it turns out that this in fact is the exact solution. Is this coincidence or is there more to it? Opinions? http://arxiv.org/pdf/gr-qc/0309072v3
  15. T

    Calculating Speed of T-Bone Car Accident

    Hello, I am not a big math guy, although I do have a bachelors degree I don't remember any of my formulas from high school lol. I was involved in a car accident and I am researching the physics of the accident. I want to try and approximate the speed of the vehicle that hit me broad...
  16. B

    Trying to reconstruct an accident

    Hello all, Here's the data I have - Initial Elevation : 0 feet Final elevation: -25 feet Distance from roadway: 55 feet Assuming the tree that was hit didn't lessen the velocity, and the vehicle didn't bounce, what would the velocity have been at the time the vehicle left the roadway...
  17. R

    Finding the spring constant of a accident safety system

    Homework Statement An accident safety system uses a spring to absorb the energy of a car before the car collides with a bridge abutment. The vehicle has a mass of 1000kg and the design calls for stopping a car moving at 5m/sec (11.2 mi/hr) in 0.5m. Find the spring constant k Homework...
  18. K

    Car Accident Reconstruction

    My physics professor gave us a lab in which we have to do accident reconstruction. The difficulty I am having is that we have not gone over how to calculate collision with coefficients of restitution in class. So far we've only done completely elastic or inelastic, yet now he expects us to do...
  19. A

    The jousting accident that turned Henry VIII into a tyrant

    According to a new historical documentary, Henry VIII underwent a serious personality change following a serious jousting accident. The accident changed him from a sporty, out going and generous man to a cruel and paranoid one, changing the way his subjects and those close to him saw him...
  20. N

    What is the net force and kinetic energy of an 800g part hitting at 170mph?

    This past weekend - Sunday, July 26th to be precise - Ferrari Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa suffered a HORRIBLE head / eye injury in the Grand Prix of Hungary as a result of an object striking his helmet and visor after having been "thrown" (disconnected) from another racing car ahead - an 800 g...
  21. Z

    Uncovering the Truth: Analysis of a Mysterious Car Accident on the Highway

    I was in a car accident involving an eighteen-wheel truck. The driver thinks the truck hit the car. I was in the passenger seat and I think the car hit the truck. Can someone give their opinion given the details: The car was traveling in the left lane at about 70 miles on the highway. The...
  22. B

    Nuclear physics: determine the date of the Chernobyl accident

    Homework Statement The acitvities from the fission products 131I and 133I were measured in the air of Gothenburg April 28 1986 at 17:00. The result was 0.12 Bq/m3 and 0.39 Bq/m3 for 131I and 133I respectively. These isotopes came from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster. Use this...
  23. A

    Aeronautical Engineering & Aircraft Accident Causes

    hey guys i just want to know if an aeronautical engineer fault in designing or in building the aircraft could cause an aircraft accident?
  24. Ivan Seeking

    Medical Accident leaves basketball player with no memory

    An interesting local story in the news. http://www.katu.com/news/local/36581724.html
  25. S

    Ice skating accident problem

    Homework Statement A 35 kg ice skater traveling at 12 m/s runs head-on into a 65 kg skater traveling straight forward at 4 m/s. At what speed do the ice skaters travel if they move (stuck) together after the collision?Homework Equations i put it below. i don't know if youre supposed to use...
  26. P

    A Terrible Accident involving a Barrel of Bricks and a lot of Force

    SOVLED (Green means correct) (Red means can't figure out answer) Homework Statement Dear Sir; I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block #3 of the accident reporting form. I put "Poor Planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller...
  27. A

    Accident Analysis: Find Speed of Sedan and SUV Before Collision

    Homework Statement A 1400 sedan goes through a wide intersection traveling from north to south when it is hit by a 2500 SUV traveling from east to west. The two cars become enmeshed due to the impact and slide as one thereafter. On-the-scene measurements show that the coefficient of...
  28. wolram

    Take the Accident Prone Test: See How You Rate!

    I thought i would see how i rated, it takes a few minutes so do not bother if you are busy. I scored 55 :grumpy: http://www.psychtests.com/tests/career/risk_safety_access.html
  29. lisab

    Witnessing a Fatal Car Accident: Ethical Dilemmas of a Lawyer

    Two years ago today, I was a witness to a car accident. A family was in a car on the side of the road. The car pulled back onto the highway, right into the path of a semi truck that was loaded with bricks. When I say "right into the path" I mean, maybe two meters. The truck driver was not at...
  30. wolram

    Effects the Chernobyl accident caused are evident now?

    This is an article from 2000, does anyone know what effects the accident caused are evident now? http://www.ratical.org/radiation/Chernobyl/060700.html
  31. P

    Proving Speeding in Car Accident with Physics

    ok so i have a question I'm really hoping someone can help me with. i got in a car accident recently and i want to prove that the person who hit me was speeding but I'm not sure how to do it. i am actually an engineer so i really should be able to do this on my own but I'm a civil engineer and...
  32. B

    [attempt?] car accident problem.

    [SOLVED] [attempt?] car accident problem. Homework Statement http://hypertextbook.com/physics/mechanics/momentum-two-three/accident-reconstruction-1.pdf Homework Equations Pix=Pfx Piy=Pfy v^2 = v0^2 + 2 ax Fk=MkN W=mg F=ma The Attempt at a Solution 01. Fk = MkN 100 N = Mk...
  33. L

    Stopping distance in motorcycle accident

    Hello all, I am new to the forum and to learning physics. I was involved in a BAD motorcycle accident on November 10th, 2006 that resulted the amputation of my left foot. The accident sparked my interest in physics. I am trying to figure out exactly how fast I was going when I impacted the...
  34. L

    A traffic accident with Newton's first law

    Homework Statement Consider this situation: A police officer arrives at the scene of an accident and finds a load of straw bales partly on the back of a pickup truck and partly on the hood of a Jaguar sedan. Both vehicles are facing in the same direction. The pickup is in front of the...
  35. M

    Conserved momentum (car accident)

    Homework Statement A blue car with a mass of 2000 kg and a yellow truck with mass 9000 kg enter an intersection. The truck comes from the south at vtruck = 7 m/s, and the car comes from the west. When the two collide they stick together and slide at an angle of q = 43° north of east. What...
  36. A

    Inelastic Collision with Friction in car accident

    Homework Statement You are called as an expert witness to analyze the following auto accident: Car B, of mass 2100 kg, was stopped at a red light when it was hit from behind by car A, of mass 1400 kg. The cars locked bumpers during the collision and slid to a stop. Measurements of the skid...
  37. S

    Aircraft Accident 19 JUL 1989

    1989 (eighteen years ago) an aircraft droped down its fan disk. And After that it has difficulties for landing and crashed on the gruond and more than 100 people killed. The disk was not found several months. Indeed by simple physics rules it is very easy to find the location of this disk...
  38. S

    Chernobyl accident vs candu 3 reactor

    Hello, Quick question I'm having a hard time finding much information, or at least information I'm absorbing. I'm just supposed to write a paragraph on: Could the same accident at Chernobyl happen in a CANDU 3 reactor? Anything to help get me started anyone?
  39. P

    Using physics in accident investigation

    i have an assignment in physics due tommorrow and i would really appreciate it if someone could explain to me how acceleration, velocity and displacement are used to investigate accidets. Or if you know of any great sites i could go on to find this information would be very helpful. please...
  40. P

    Understanding the Role of c1c2 and 2b in the Energy in Accident Equation

    Can someone please tell me what I am suppose to do with c1c2 and 2b in the following equation. I do not know if I am to mulitply, divide, subtract or add. E= L * (( a /2 ) * ( c1 + c2) + b / 6 * ( c1² + c1c2 + c2² ) + ( a² / 2b)) Where: L = 1 a=375 b=45 c1=.33 c2=.33 My answer comes...
  41. R

    Are Remarkable Coincidences Truly Random or Evidence of Design?

    Some mathematicians argue that it would be even a more remarkable coincidence if there were no remarkable coincidences in the world. Considering that there are over 6 billion people in the world, there are bound to be stories of remarkable coincidences just because of the odds. There is the...
  42. Astronuc

    Captured the aftermath of an accident

    http://www.snopes.com/photos/accident/hoecrash.asp (Edit: replaced url to images with url to webpage.) (Edit: removed faulty url) And you probably thought engineers don't have a sense of humor. :biggrin:
  43. J

    Pedestrian Accident at Traffic Crossing: Witness Testimony and Accident Analysis

    boy knocked down by van at pedestrian crossing with lights. point of impact was 4.6 km from kerb.there was a witness. boy said- i crosse imm green man came on.thought van would stop driver said - i was traveling at 40 k/h .light was green .i slammed brakr imm. but still hit him.at no more than...
  44. A

    Missing Milwaukee boys tragedy: Perhaps a terrible accident and not a crime?

    The decomposed bodies of two fully dressed boys in a park lagoon might well be the bodies of the two young boys reported missing a month ago. On account of the bodies being fully dressed, and found at the bottom of a pool rather than, say, buried, indicates to me at least that this awful...
  45. I

    Will a Fly Survive a Car Accident?

    Would a fly traveling in a car that hits a brick wall be killed? Windows closed, fly around the middle of the car.. aircon off :P Im thinking that the fly would lose enough momentum before it hits the front window or dashboard to survive.. :D
  46. R

    Near-Fatal Snowboard Accident | Phrasion

    http://www.freewebs.com/phrasion/ this guy almost lost his head :rofl:
  47. 1

    Helping a Friend After a Bike Accident

    ok, my friend and i were riding bikes, when he fell, getting scrapped up knees, and a scraped chest when he hit the handlebars with his rib. he was able to ride to my house (1.5 km). when he got there, we cleaned his wounds with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and bandaged them. then, he got woozy...
  48. Ivan Seeking

    Stowaway falls from sky [Warning: This a horrible accident]

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/07/AR2005060701545.html
  49. L

    Solving Two-Car Accident with Friction: Step-by-Step Guide

    please help if u can. Consider the following two-car accident: Two cars of equal mass collide at an intersection. Driver E was traveling eastward, and driver N, northward. After the collision, the two cars remain joined together and slide, with locked wheels, before coming to rest. Police on...
  50. A

    How Do You Calculate the Velocity of Two Colliding Cars That Stick Together?

    Please help. Consider the following two-car accident: Two cars of equal mass m collide at an intersection. Driver E was traveling eastward, and driver N, northward. After the collision, the two cars remain joined together and slide, with locked wheels, before coming to rest. Police on the...
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