Quote:
Originally Posted by WillAdams
Given the danger a small, dense object represents in an accident, that alone is sufficient reason to require that people put the things away.
For those who feel that hardcover books represent a similar danger, try the following experiment:
- take an open hardcover book, throw it as hard as you can at a wall 6' away, observe the size of the dent (if any) which it makes
- repeat that w/ some small electronic device, compare the relative size of the damage
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=128062&page=1
William |
Pretty meaningless. KE= 1/2 MV^2 and that does not change.
The heavier object will hit with more
force if they have the same velocity when they hit. It is the pressure exerted that will determine damage and in general a book will exert less pressure, but if an edge hits the wall it is likely to do more damage.
It's why we can push a thumbtack into a wall with less force than we can push our finger through the wall.
Note also that V is important.
Drop a 10 pound object from 1 foot onto your toe, then do the same with a 1 pound object from 10 feet...