Eli5 How do you calculate the crash of an object inside another object/container?

Question

For example, I want to figure out the impact force on a person inside a free falling elevator.

In: 0

Answer 1

Assuming you mean the impact forces on the person when the elevator hits bottom:

It will be almost the same as if the person fell down the elevator shaft without the elevator. The main difference is the air resistance/terminal velocity of the elevator car is likely to be different than that of the person. If you remove the air resistance from the problem the force becomes exactly the same as if the person fell without the elevator car (minus the minor fall distance to account for the thickness of the elevator bottom). Both the person and the elevator are in the same gravity field, so they are accelerated at the same rate. When they hit the bottom the person will have accelerated to the same velocity they would have if the elevator was gone.