What force causes a body to move into the windshield when a car suddenly stops?

[Balsam]

Homework Statement

This is not a specific problem, I was just wondering, what unbalanced force acts on your body when you are in a car traveling at a constant velocity and the car comes to a sudden stop? This has to do with Newton's First Law, but I'm unsure of what force applied to your body would cause it to move into the windshield if this change in accelleration would happen?

 

[gneill]

If you ask a question here in the homework section you''re obligated to make an attempt at a solution before any help can be offered. So take a shot at it and see what you can come up with.

 

[Balsam]

If you ask a question here in the homework section you''re obligated to make an attempt at a solution before any help can be offered. So take a shot at it and see what you can come up with.

I think that the unbalanced force acts on the car- maybe it's a type of force that I haven't learned about. I'm not sure what that force is called. But, the force acts on the car and the car is able to change its velocity, but the person in the car resists it and their body ends up in the position it would've been in had they kept moving at the same constant velocity as before. That's my guess.

 

[gneill]

I think that the unbalanced force acts on the car- maybe it's a type of force that I haven't learned about. I'm not sure what that force is called. But, the force acts on the car and the car is able to change its velocity, but the person in the car resists it and their body ends up in the position it would've been in had they kept moving at the same constant velocity as before. That's my guess.

That's a reasonable answer.

The force affecting the car can be due to any number of things, from friction between the tires and road, to an impact with some other object.