Calculating the force of a falling object on concrete

Harry01 · « **on:** 15/08/2023 06:29:22 »

Bit obsessive but I was wondering how you would work out the force generated from someone falling from a height of say 100metres with a weight of 100kg onto concrete. I was using E=mgh. Energy is equal to mass times gravitational field strength times the height. How do I convert that into a force in Newtons?

Bored chemist · « **Reply #1 on:** 15/08/2023 08:33:12 »

Quote from: Harry01 on 15/08/2023 06:29:22

How do I convert that into a force in Newtons?

You divide it by a distance.

(Average) Force = weight times distance fallen divided by stopping distance.

alancalverd · « **Reply #2 on:** 15/08/2023 10:10:26 »

And you need to take into account Young's modulus of the human body and the speed of sound in soft tissue. It's more of a squish than a bang. I think you can ignore the compressibility of concrete for a first-order approximation.

Sadly, the Transport and Road Research Laboratory, the Motor Industry Research Association and the Institute of Aviation Medicine have plenty of models and real life data.

You won't reach terminal speed from 100m but you do need to correct for drag. E _impact< mgh, depending on clothing and posture.

Petrochemicals · « **Reply #3 on:** 15/08/2023 16:03:43 »

F= ma

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_(unit)

Zer0 · « **Reply #4 on:** 20/08/2023 20:45:41 »

@Harry01

Welcome Back!

Calculating the force of a falling object on concrete

Harry01 (OP)

Calculating the force of a falling object on concrete

Bored chemist

Re: Calculating the force of a falling object on concrete

alancalverd

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Petrochemicals

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Zer0

Re: Calculating the force of a falling object on concrete

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