Finding how much a 5 cm pad compresses when an egg hits it

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a 56.0 g egg falling from a height of 120.0 m and impacting a 5.00 cm thick foam pad. The egg compresses the pad upon impact, and the time taken for the egg to come to a complete stop after hitting the pad is 6.25 ms. The challenge is to determine how much the pad compresses during this interaction, assuming a constant upward acceleration due to the pad's compression.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Some participants suggest using conservation of energy to find the egg's speed at impact, which could then be used to calculate its acceleration. Others question whether all relevant information is provided in the problem statement, particularly regarding the upward acceleration from the foam pad.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with some participants providing hints and guidance without reaching a consensus. Clarifications about the problem statement are being explored, particularly regarding the height of the fall and the assumptions made about the forces involved.

Contextual Notes

There is a discrepancy in the problem statement regarding the height of the fall, with references to both 120.0 m and 12 m. Participants are also considering the implications of the given deceleration time and the assumption of a constant force.

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Homework Statement


A 56.0 g egg falls 120.0 m from rest and hits a 5.00 cm thick foam pad. The egg does not break, but instead compresses the foam pad. It is 6.25 ms from the moment the egg hits the foam ad until all downward motion (falling) is stopped. Assuming there is a constant upward acceleration due to the compressing of the foam pad, how much is the pad compressed?

m= 56.0 g; delta y= 12 m; pad= 5.00 cm; delta t= 6.25 ms; a= -9.81 m/s2


Homework Equations



m1v1,i+m2v2,i=m1v1,f + m2v2,f; KE= 1/2mv2; F(delta t)= delta P

I really have no idea what to do in this case, and I need to get this equation done. It's the last one on my set. Please help!
 
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You could try using conservation of energy to get the speed of the egg at the moment of impact and then use that to get the acceleration of the egg.
 
You just made my life so much easier! Thank you!
 
MelloDramatic said:
You just made my life so much easier! Thank you!
Are you sure that your problem statement contains all the relevant information? Perhaps the value of the upward acceleration due to the foam pad is missing?
 
gneill said:
Are you sure that your problem statement contains all the relevant information? Perhaps the value of the upward acceleration due to the foam pad is missing?

Nope. This information is not required. Here's a hint: the deceleration time is given, and a constant force is assumed. :wink:

To the original poster: is it 120.0 m or 12 m? You've written both of these in two different places. The latter gives me an answer that works. The former does not (i.e. the pad will not be thick enough).
 
cepheid said:
Nope. This information is not required. Here's a hint: the deceleration time is given, and a constant force is assumed. :wink:

Ah yes. How late-night-fuzzy-headed of me. Thanks.
 

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