Eli5 If the equation for force is F=ma why does dropping the same object from 2 different heights change how much an object would be crushed?

Question

In science one year, we did a test of dropping a water bottle from different heights over a Pringle, and we had to protect the Pringle with a paper. But how would increasing the height increase the force is the mass and acceleration is the same?

In: 152

Answer 1

The acceleration here is *the sudden stop at the end*. Remember, “acceleration” only means “*change* in speed”.

The bottle dropped from higher up was falling for longer, so it reached a higher speed, so it experienced a larger acceleration when it stopped moving, so there was more force.