our roommate is studying law and is the plaintiff\'s attorney in a mock trial. A

Question

our roommate is studying law and is the plaintiff's attorney in a mock trial. A hospital patient's leg slipped off a stretcher and his heel hit the floor. The defense attorney for the hospital claims the leg, with mass 9kg , hit the floor with a force equal to the weight of the leg-namely, about 90-and the resulting damage was due to a prior injury to the heel. Your roommate's argument will claim the heel hit the floor with a much larger force. Make these assumptions: The leg and heel dropped freely a distance of 0.8m , and the stopping distance was 2cm . What data do you give your roommate to convince the jury?

Explanation / Answer

v^2 = 2 g h = 2 x 10 x 0.8 = 16

The kinetic energy when it touches the floor is

T = 1/2 m v^2 = 72 J

The work done by the floor W has the same value.

So the force is

F = W/d = 72 / 0.02 = 3600 N

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