How much force was applied by the horse?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around estimating the force exerted by a horse's kick on a person, using hypothetical parameters such as the weight of the person and the distance traveled after being kicked. The context includes assumptions about the scenario being fictional, as it originates from a movie.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant provides specific parameters for the scenario, including the weights of the horse and the person, the distance traveled, and the time taken to hit the car.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the scenario's authenticity, suggesting that it appears unrealistic and proposing a force of 0 N as a response.
  • Another participant suggests that while the scenario is fictional, it is still possible to estimate the force needed by considering impulse or work rather than force alone, and offers methods for calculating average force based on momentum or energy.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the validity of the scenario, with some dismissing it as fake while others engage in hypothetical calculations. There is no consensus on the force value, as opinions vary widely.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the fictional nature of the scenario and the applicability of physical principles to estimate force, which may not be fully resolved or agreed upon by all participants.

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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