Serway & Jewett — Linear Momentum and Collisions: Problem 8

You and your brother argue often about how to safely secure a toddler in a moving car. You insist that special toddler seats are critical in improving the chances of a toddler surviving a crash. Your brother claims that, as long as his wife is buckled in next to him with a seat belt while he drives, she can hold onto their toddler on her lap in a crash. You decide to perform a calculation to try to convince your brother. Consider a hypothetical collision in which the 12-kg toddler and his parents are riding in a car traveling at 60 mi/h relative to the ground. The car strikes a wall, tree, or another car, and is brought to rest in 0.10 s. You wish to demonstrate to your brother the magnitude of the force necessary for his wife to hold onto their child during the collision.