When catching a ball, a cricketer moves his hands for a short distance in the direction of travel of the ball as it makes contact with his hands. Explain why this technique results in less force being exerted on the cricketer's hands

As his hand moves back with the ball, the time taken to stop the ball is greater. This means that the rate of change of momentum is less (because the rate of him changing the speed of the ball is much slower). Newton's second law of motion states that a body's rate of change in momentum is equal to the net force acting on it. Therefore, the lower the rate of change of momentum, the lower the force. Alternatively, work done on the ball is the same but there's a greater distance, therefore less force is applied.

LW
Answered by Lisa W. Physics tutor

9657 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

Why are fringes are formed in the Young double slit experiment?


What is meant by the binding energy of a nucleus?


How does having a rotating plate in a microwave help food to be heated eavenly?


Explain the gaps within an absorption spectrum and where this may commonly occur in the universe


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences