How much force was applied by the horse?

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SUMMARY

The discussion revolves around calculating the force exerted by a draft horse during a kick that propelled a 220 lbs (100 kg) man 15 ft (5 m) in 1 second. While some participants question the realism of the scenario, the focus is on determining the necessary force using principles of physics. Key concepts include impulse and work, which are more effective measures than force alone. The calculations suggest that understanding momentum and energy distribution is crucial for accurate force estimation.

PREREQUISITES
  • Newton's Second Law of Motion
  • Impulse and momentum concepts
  • Work-energy principle
  • Basic physics of collisions
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the calculations for impulse using the formula: Impulse = Change in momentum
  • Learn about the work-energy theorem and its application in collision scenarios
  • Explore the concept of average force calculation using momentum and time
  • Investigate real-world examples of force measurements in animal behavior studies
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics students, animal behavior researchers, and anyone interested in the dynamics of collisions and force calculations in real-world scenarios.

Rose Gardener
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So the horse kicked the chubby guy, he was lifted off the ground, flew, and hit the parked car. Let's assume:

  1. the chubby man was 220 lbs (roughly 100Kgs),
  2. the distance he "traveled" was 15 ft (roughly 5M).
  3. Time it took the guy to hit the van after being kicked by the horse of 1 sec.
  4. Being a draft horse, it may weight about 1800 lbs, plus the officer, so about 2000lbs (900Kgs)
How much force was the horse's kick? Notice how the van shook upon impact but the horse hard moved when it kicked.
 
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It looks fake to me. So I will say 0 N.
 
Dale said:
It looks fake to me. So I will say 0 N.
It was from a movie, so yes, fake. But let's assume it did happen. How much force would be needed?
 
Rose Gardener said:
It was from a movie, so yes, fake. But let's assume it did happen. How much force would be needed?
Force by itself is not a very good parameter for a blow or collision. It is easier to quantify the impulse (force integrated over time) or work (force integrated over distance) that were applied to the man by the blow. Either one can be determined based on the man's mass and the velocity resulting from the blow.

If you must know the force you can then divide momentum by time or energy by distance to get the associated time-weighted or distance-weighted average force.
 
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