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Gymnasts often practice on foam floors, which increase the collision time when a gymnast falls. What effect does this have on collisions?

The change in momentum needed to stop the gymnast is increased.
The change in momentum needed to stop the gymnast is decreased.
The force exerted by the floor on the gymnast decreases.
The force exerted by the floor on the gymnast increases.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
The force exerted by the floor on the gymnast decreases.

Reason: The impulse Δp needed to stop the gymnast stays the same, and impulse = F_avg · Δt. Increasing the collision time Δt therefore reduces the average force F_avg.