Find one light and one heavy book. Put one of them at the edge of the table and

Question

Find one light and one heavy book.  Put one of them at the edge of the table and use one hand to gently push it over the edge.  Catch it with the other hand about 1 ft=30 cm below the edge of the table.  Then do the same with the other book.  (Don’t choose a book so heavy that it’ll hurt your hand, or so valuable that you’ll be afraid to damage it!)  Compare how much of a “ push” your receiving hand feels from the heavy book and from the light book.  Explain the difference. [Hint:  are the books falling at the same speed at the moment they hit your hand?]

Explanation / Answer

The "push" due to the heavier book is more than the "push of the lighter book.

They are falling at the same speed at the moment hey hit my hand, because they came off from the same height.

However, the difference in "push" is because the impulse needed to stop the book is proportional to its mass. [And hence, the force, impulse/time.]

Thus, the heavier book has a greater push on my hand.

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