Expansion of a Helmet's Effective Density Effect on Amount of Linear Acceleration Experienced Internally
School Name
Heathwood Hall
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Physics
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
The impulse of two objects is always conserved in an impact, however this does not mean that all of the impulse must be felt or experienced by a partaking internal figure. During any given football practice or game, concussion is a possibility, as players often exchange blows to the head and neck area, whether legal or not. Forty-seven percent of the three and a half million concessions reported in 2015 occurred during high-school football, according to Headcase (www.headcasecompany.com). Modern helmets are simply insufficient in protecting the brain against concussion. Greater public awareness about the risk and consequences of concussion, as well as better understanding of concussion’s long-term effects has shined new light on the topic recently. By increasing a helmet’s padding effective density (thickness), you allow for more time between the initial external collision of the helmets, and the acceleration of the brain internally which leads to concussion. The time increase between the internal and external accelerations, should allow for lesser peak accelerations felt by the brain, according to the formula: change in time equals mass times change in velocity, as a greater time will mean a lesser peak force exerted internally. The null hypothesis, stating that an increase in effective density would not have an effect on accelerations internally was not able to be rejected, because an ANOVA test of the data showed no statistical difference; however, a bar graph of the different means did suggest that there is possibly a correlation.
Recommended Citation
Buchanan, Davis, "Expansion of a Helmet's Effective Density Effect on Amount of Linear Acceleration Experienced Internally" (2017). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 178.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2017/all/178
Location
Wall 307
Start Date
3-25-2017 11:00 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
Expansion of a Helmet's Effective Density Effect on Amount of Linear Acceleration Experienced Internally
Wall 307
The impulse of two objects is always conserved in an impact, however this does not mean that all of the impulse must be felt or experienced by a partaking internal figure. During any given football practice or game, concussion is a possibility, as players often exchange blows to the head and neck area, whether legal or not. Forty-seven percent of the three and a half million concessions reported in 2015 occurred during high-school football, according to Headcase (www.headcasecompany.com). Modern helmets are simply insufficient in protecting the brain against concussion. Greater public awareness about the risk and consequences of concussion, as well as better understanding of concussion’s long-term effects has shined new light on the topic recently. By increasing a helmet’s padding effective density (thickness), you allow for more time between the initial external collision of the helmets, and the acceleration of the brain internally which leads to concussion. The time increase between the internal and external accelerations, should allow for lesser peak accelerations felt by the brain, according to the formula: change in time equals mass times change in velocity, as a greater time will mean a lesser peak force exerted internally. The null hypothesis, stating that an increase in effective density would not have an effect on accelerations internally was not able to be rejected, because an ANOVA test of the data showed no statistical difference; however, a bar graph of the different means did suggest that there is possibly a correlation.
