Orange - Hitting it lying on a surface or hanging free

[Stein]

Hi,

I was wondering under which circumstance does the Orange take the most damage?

If I hit it when it rests on a hard surface or if it is hanging from something free to move with the blow.

 

[mathman]

Hi,

I was wondering under which circumstance does the Orange take the most damage?

If I hit it when it rests on a hard surface or if it is hanging from something free to move with the blow.

If you hit it while hanging (not too hard), presumably it will come loose and fly off. The damage will depend on how and where it lands.

If you hit it on a hard surface, much depends on the the angle. Assume it is resting on a horizontal surface, if you hit it vertically, you will crush it. If You hit it horizontally, the result will be similar to that for a hanging fruit.

Why are you asking this question?

 

[Galap]

On the surface it will take more damage, because if it is hanging, some of the energy you put into it will be transferred into translational or possibly (depending on how you hit it) rotational kinetic energy. If it is on the surface, most of the energy will have to be absorbed by the orange itself, deforming it.