REFLECTION REPORT :
Understanding Physics Through Real Life Demonstration
NAME : Han ShuJi
COURSE CODE : FSPZ0014 Physics 1
PHENOMENON : How do airbags reduce injuries during a crash
INTRODUCTION
The phenomenon that our group choose is “How do
airbags reduce injuries during a crash”. The physics
concept that we used to this phenomenon is
“Impulse”, which is connected to force, time and
change in momentum together with Newton’s
Second Law of Motion. The objective of this
experiment is to explain how a longer impact time
can reduce the force acting on an object.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPERIMENT
We use two eggs, a pillow and a container in this
experiment to represent the effect of airbags. We’ve
dropped both egg on the same height, which is 30 cm.
One egg landed on the pillow while another one on
the hard container. We observed that the egg which
landed on the pillow did not break but the egg that
landed on the hard container broke. This experiment
shows that soft surface will increase the impact time
causing less force on the object.
REFLECTION ON LEARNING
From this experiment, I’ve learned that the force exerted on
an object is smaller when the impact time is long. This
concept explains how airbags function in real life. It inflate
to increase the collision time, which reduces the impact force
exerted on passengers.
One part that was quite challenging was we have to make
sure both eggs were dropped exactly at the same height
which is 30 cm. We have to be very careful during the
experiment because even small differences could affect the
results.
This concept also have close connection to my daily life. The
time of impact affects the force exerted on an object or body
when kicking a ball, hitting ball with racket and jumping on
a trampoline. An an example, when kicking a football. The
time of impact affects the force experienced by the object or
body. When you follow through in a kick, you increase
contact time which gives the ball more momentum while
reducing stress on muscles.
What surprised me the most was how a simple setup with
only eggs and pillows could represent a complex real world
situation. It made me realise that Physics is not just a theory
but a practical way to understand and improve safety in
everyday life.
PERSONAL INSIGHT
This experiment have changed my point of view about
physics. I used to think airbags can’t help in guarantee the
passenger’s safety but now I understand that the main
purpose of airbags is to increase the duration of the
impact which reduce the force acting on passenger. If I
were given a chance to repeat this experiment, I would like
to try using different types of materials like sponges, foam
or rubber mats to compare their effects on impact and
force reduction.
CONCLUSION
In summary, the experiment effectively shows how the
concept of impulse helps in reduce injuries during a car
crash. The main point from this assignment is longer
impact time cause smaller impact force. This is why
airbags are significant in ensuring safety during car crash.