EXS 387 Lab #6 FORCES

Post Lab Questions:

1.) In the “Walk” chart, explain the shape of the chart. Describe what is happening and why
with the peaks and valley.
In the walk chart, the register picked up there was weight on the pad, and once the
foot went off it dropped back to no weight. Every peak showed a weight change, and
every valley was a drop in weight.
2.) Why are the force readings different when the carpet or cellular pad was used? What is
the primary cause for these changes in the readings?
This is because the carpet and pad absorbed some of the impact when the ball or
helmet were dropped. The primary cause for these changes is the soft texture
blocking the full impact of the ball.
3.) Keeping impacts and collisions in mind, explain why and how modern airbags are used to
prevent catastrophic head injuries during car accidents.
Airbags are used to prevent head injuries by stopping the body from moving after a
crash. When a car gets involved in a car crash, the airbag goes off to prevent the
head from rocking forward and hitting anything in front of them.
4.) Did the Counter Movement Jump (CMJ) have the initial “dip” in force on the graph when
the movement started? Why is this? If this did not occur, explain why not.
No, it did not. It had a raise before dipping down. This was because the person when
jumping had to go down first before jumping up, showing the initial raise in weight
on the graph.
5.) Did the Squat Jump or Counter Movement Jump have a greater landing peak force? Why
could this be?
The Counter Movement Jump had a greater landing peak. This was because the
person was moving before the jump, giving them more force on the pad when
jumping.
6.) In the CMJ we can view the participant going up and down as a “vertical projectile”. If
we know what the total time of flight is from the chart, we are able to figure out time up
and time down. From this, determine:
a) Initial Vertical Velocity- 5m/s
b) Apex Height- 3m
7.) Name and describe, in detail, each of Newton’s laws that we went over in lab.
1) Law of Inertia-object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion will maintain its
motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
2) Law of acceleration- When a force of sufficient magnitude is applied to a mass it will
cause a change in the velocity of the mass.
3) Law of Action-Reaction- For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.