Understanding Car Crashes: It's Basic Physics

Updated in 2020.
What happens to vehicles and their occupants in crashes is determined by science. "You can't argue with the laws of physics," says Griff Jones, award-winning high school physics teacher who goes behind the scenes at the Institute's Vehicle Research Center to explore the basic science behind car crashes. Using a series of vehicle maneuvers on a test track plus filmed results of vehicle crash tests, Jones explains in anything but lecture style the concept of inertia, the relationship between crash forces and inertia, momentum and impulse, and a lot more.
Quote from Paul G. Hewitt, the developer of the "Conceptual Physics" curriculum and author of the best selling text book by the same name: "The video "Understanding Car Crashes: It's Basic Physics" and accompanying teacher's guide are wonderful. The pacing is excellent, the coverage fascinating, and most importantly, the physics is correct. It's a first rate teaching package. I give it five stars!"
More information, including lessons and other supporting material, at classroom.iihs.org
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[@cucumbermarblesda]

Imagine watching this video for school

[@kucumberkid3676]

Imagine

[@l_lbrc4239]

It will be crazy

[@timmytheturt6135]

I am

[@finnmurtons8727]

Don't have to. We had a class in engineering about rigid body kinematics. We watched something similar. Take mechanical engineering. Issa good time

[@cedricdragg1063]

I am😭😭

[@nonbinary_editor_]

I'm a sophomore and I'm taking physics inertia is actually kind of interesting I'm also practicing driving so I guess this'll help

[@fontheking5]

The British driver Mark Blundell survived the crash at 9:30 with a broken foot, the crash took part in Rio

[@Technically_Working]

How do I know physics so well? I have watched this video or a variation of it about once a month for the last ten years showing it to my driving students.

[@mikeykovalcik]

nice bro

[@liamatkinson143]

That’s sick broski

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

I'm learning physics also yet the foundation of physics is quantum physics - and it does scale to the macroscale via noncommutativity. thanks

[@jonathanclough598]

They use "p" for momentum because when Liebniz in Germany was developing a lot of the same ideas as Newto,n he used the term "progress," hence "p," defined as the quantity of motion with which a bod proceeds in a certain direction.

[@DMFermiPhysics]

And here I thought pmomentum secretly had a silent "p" in front of it (possibly of Greek origin) like pneumatic. :) . Thanks for the historical reference!

[@duckbizniz663]

Excellent job explaining the physics of car crashes.

[@S_Paoli]

I grew up in Northern Virginia. Moved away about 15 years ago. Visited the area again and the drivers there really scared me. So many bad drivers in NoVa days.(worse than NYC, Chicago, and even LA)

[@Pao234_]

I'm a Physics major so i already knew the formulas like i know my own name, but the explanation was just so fun that i still watched it all hahaha

[@burgerhead3055]

Such a good vehicle with so little comments? Thats really disappointing, but also a good thing since not many people are arguing about this.

[@vask92]

Awesome video. Great job

[@aweiwei1987]

cool，You cant get away from the very basic physics！

[@Dexter_S456]

Got sent here for school☠️

[@mikelfuentes7597]

x2 bro

[@Wewellus]

Enhancing road safety with physics!

[@bekkerthesokuangeldragon68]

I would love to have that job and seeing this stuff i naction in person insteadof videos/movies/games but holly crap that is just insane on how this stuff works and all. that's crazy of what we can do on computers and to control electronic stuff from computers. 3:30 When you forget/forgot to strap on your seatbelt(s) and this happens: 3:32

[@nexxisfoxx9731]

I really felt the chest pain when the Dummy got nailed. Ouch that would hurt

[@GXKid06]

I miss early 2000s education videos

[@DillyRed]

yo thanks dude

[@AlexWallace-yx6qf]

now this is crazy

[@vailmusic6611]

Mint

[@redwolfmaddox3986]

I’m planning on working here one day

[@user-bc4mr1iq4v]

That's cool to hear. You'll be saving lives as well as being able to watch all of these different cars get crushed, which must be fun. Thank you in the future if you ever decide to work there!

[@Technically_Working]

10:30 ish is anybody else annoyed by the fact that he doesn't stop the balls between smashes in the Newton's Cradle demonstration?

[@joshuagodinek8396]

have to watch this for physics…

[@camdenschiff8128]

Anyone else here from 8th grade science

[@camdenschiff8128]

@Camden Wulforst Camden

[@isaacstutler3005]

Hey camden

[@ItsHype]

I am

[@sydney1547]

9th for me :p

[@richardfrias2030]

Imagine if the insurance institute for highway safety made their own car

[@dawsonbrown8368]

Anyone got the answers to the worksheet. Would be much appreciated

[@mikeykovalcik]

this is lit

[@wilson2119]

Why all the comments are from a day ago?

[@Aquamqrine]

idk thats kinda weird

[@eranbroide3003]

RUclips recomendations

[@Aquamqrine]

@@eranbroide3003 lol wait what I had to watch this for a science assignment tho-

[@eranbroide3003]

@@Aquamqrine maybe all these people commenting are from your class watching it for the assignment

[@eranbroide3003]

A physicist is walking down the street, he sees a man about to jump off a building and commit suicide. The physicist shouts to him "Dont jump! You have so much potential"

[@S_Paoli]

wait? can't argue with the laws of physics? but that's what many German drivers do when their cars are travelling at 107mph to 132mph on the Autobahn every single day...

[@PatrickHolensaber]

"Insurance institute for *Highway* safety" but every crash is at 30 mph.
what highway do you go 30 on? Where are the 85 mph crash tests?

[@vxllfire]

people always don't understand how if you design vehicles to withstand very high speed collisions, then injuries are more likely in more common, low speed accidents.

[@SilverMiraii]

look at the dummy's knees, it hits the dashboard, wouldn't that injure your knees severely ?

[@SuchAUniqueHandle]

Ah yes, death.

[@scubajoe3321]

I think it's pretty simple

[@thyRyanGoslink]

🥶

[@shondig]

rip to those cars is all i can say

[@titan9259]

Except the ones that are put on display

[@CrashForce]

👀

[@beamboi2775]

You should make crash test

[@barbara680]

Bob

[@victoriakleiner6428]

8:03

[@Para2067.]

firtnite is life

[@rustyhammer452]

why the crash dummy kinda 😳😳

[@deadchannel5752]

Could you elaborate?

[@dianeenyi2849]

Ikrrr 😳

[@kkaevi]

WHAT.

[@LawlietsLeftEyelash]

5:35

[@ja_inabaa]

9:00

[@victoriakleiner6428]

11:06

[@victoriakleiner6428]

10:58

[@Aquamqrine]

amogus

[@titan9259]

Ena

[@beamboi2775]

@@titan9259 a bunch of middle schoolers found this I am one too) because science class and riddled the comment section with memes

[@victoriakleiner6428]

0:29

[@bobuxrestored609]

bobux lore

[@victoriakleiner6428]

10:10

[@victoriakleiner6428]

8:03

[@iihs-hldi]

Explore more crash science with hands-on activities and demonstration videos, perfect for learning at home or at school. Check out IIHS-HLDI in the Classroom: classroom.iihs.org/

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

So if I'm going to ship myself to China, use a strong box. I get it! thanks

[@Bacciagalupe]

: )

[@allspencerm3891]

sussy baka

[@victoriakleiner6428]

8:03

[@victoriakleiner6428]

11:09

[@victoriakleiner6428]

8:03