Calculating Force & Accel. From Cell Phone Dropping Homework

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a scenario where a cell phone falls from a pocket and comes to a stop due to the tension in the headphone cord, affecting the head of the person. The subject area relates to dynamics, specifically the calculation of force and acceleration resulting from the impact of the falling phone.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the implications of the phone's fall and its effect on the head, with one participant questioning whether the head would detach, while another clarifies that the head remains in place and is affected by the force of the phone stopping.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the scenario. Some guidance has been offered regarding the physical behavior of the head in relation to the falling phone, but no consensus has been reached on the calculations needed.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of specific masses and distances involved, but the original poster has not provided a detailed attempt at the calculations, leading to questions about the assumptions made in the problem setup.

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Homework Statement


A hip kid is sitting down listening to music on his cell phone. The ear buds connected to the phone are inserted in his ears firmly and the phone is in his pocket. As the kid pulls something out of his pocket, the phone falls out and freely falls until just centimeters above the ground (irrelevant how far). The phone is stopped as the headphone cord becomes taught. The mass of the phone is 143 grams and the distance the phone dropped was 50 centimeters. The mass of the kid's head was 5 kilograms. Imagining that there is no resistance from the head and the ear buds stay in the ears, answer the following question:


Homework Equations


What was the a) force on the head and b) acceleration of the head?


The Attempt at a Solution


I have a possible answer and just want to check if I am right. Can someone tell me what they get? Thank you.
 
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Hi gembi. Welcome to Physics Forums.

Do I have this right ... the head falls off?
 
No, my professor said that the head just acts like it would in real life. When the phone stops it jerks the head downward a little bit. My professor wants to know the force and acceleration. caused by this
 
I have a possible answer...

You should show your attempt when requesting help/confirmation.
 
NascentOxygen said:
Hi gembi. Welcome to Physics Forums.

Do I have this right ... the head falls off?

:smile::smile:
 

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