How Is the Average Pressure of Hailstones on a Window Calculated?

[xago]

Homework Statement

During a hailstorm, hailstones with an average mass of 2g and a speed of 15m/s fall vertically down and strike a winshield angled at 45 degrees and bounce off at the same speed horizontally. The area of the window is .5m² What is the average pressure they exert on the window?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

So far this is what I've worked out:
Pressure = Force/Area
Force = ma but since there is no loss in velocity then that means that a=0 and the stones exert no force on the window?

 

[Redbelly98]

Can you relate force to the change in momentum?

 

[thomate1]

Your initial approach is correct, but there are a few things to consider. First, the hailstones are not exerting a constant force on the window, but rather a varying force as they bounce off. Additionally, the force they exert will depend on the angle at which they strike the window.

To calculate the average pressure, we need to take into account the fact that the force and the area of contact are changing over time. We can do this by breaking the hailstorm into smaller time intervals and calculating the pressure at each interval, then taking the average of those values.

To do this, we can use the formula P = F/A, where P is pressure, F is force, and A is area. We can also use the formula F = ma, where m is mass and a is acceleration.

To find the force exerted by each hailstone, we can use the formula F = ma. Since the hailstones have a constant velocity of 15m/s, we can use the formula a = v/t, where v is velocity and t is time. Since the hailstones are falling vertically, the time it takes for them to reach the window can be calculated using the formula d = 1/2at^2, where d is distance, a is acceleration, and t is time. We know the distance (the height of the window) and the acceleration (due to gravity), so we can solve for t.

Once we have the time it takes for the hailstone to reach the window, we can calculate the force it exerts by using the formula F = ma, where m is the mass of the hailstone and a is the acceleration calculated from the previous step.

Now that we have the force exerted by each hailstone, we can calculate the pressure by dividing the force by the area of contact. Since the hailstones are bouncing off the window, the area of contact will be the area of the window (.5m^2).

We can repeat this process for each hailstone and calculate the pressure at each time interval. Then, we can take the average of these values to find the average pressure exerted by the hailstorm on the window.

In summary, to calculate the average pressure exerted by the hailstorm on the window, we need to take into account the varying force and area of contact over time. By breaking the hailstorm into smaller time intervals and calculating the pressure at each interval, we can