A 5 kg test object moving at 1.2 m/s is brought to rest without rebound. The current design stops it in 0.015 s; a shaped recyclable cardboard support stops it in 0.05 s. Consider only the contact force along the horizontal direction and use average force = momentum change / stopping time. The proposed design reduces average force during the specified handling impact, but may lose strength after damp storage. Evaluate adoption for museum conservators and transport crews, using both a force calculation and wider implications. Evidence limitation: Repeated impacts could crush the support permanently even if the first impact performs well.

Question

Accepted Answer

Momentum-change magnitude 6 kg m/s; average force falls from 400 N to 120 N. A conditional, tested adoption is defensible; average force alone does not establish complete safety or best value. The same test mass loses the same speed in both designs, so the impulse magnitude is 5 × 1.2 = 6 kg m/s. The longer stopping time changes the force, not the total required momentum change. The original average force is 6/0.015 = 400 N and the proposed force is 6/0.05 = 120 N. Both act opposite the initial motion. Relate the calculation to the specific benefit: a shaped recyclable cardboard support reduces average force during the specified handling impact. The smaller average contact force is evidence for improved performance under this test, not a claim that energy or momentum disappears. Balance that benefit against a practical consequence: the design may lose strength after damp storage. Include the needs of museum conservators and transport crews, rather than allowing the cheapest purchase price or lowest force alone to decide. A justified recommendation is a monitored trial with a stated acceptance test before broad adoption. Repeated impacts could crush the support permanently even if the first impact performs well. Report peak force, durability and relevant access constraints alongside the average-force calculation.

Crating a museum model

What a complete response should do

How did this one feel?