Why does catching someone or something falling in most cases negate or reduce the injury/damage applied to it? Shouldn’t it be almost just as damaging, just a few feet further up?

Question

Why does catching someone or something falling in most cases negate or reduce the injury/damage applied to it? Shouldn’t it be almost just as damaging, just a few feet further up?

In: 2

Answer 1

landing on something like the floor decerates very abrubtly. whereas catching it decerates it slowly.

think of dropping an egg, then tossing an egg in the air and catching it. the chances of the egg smashing when you catch it is small if you manage to catch it. but if you drop it on the floor, the chance of it cracking is quite large because the deceleration is much more abrupt.