Stunts!
If you have ever watched Hot Rod, one of my favorite movies, then you understand the joy/hilarity of poorly thought out stunts. My brother and I have always enjoyed puting ourselves in harms way of the purpose of an awesome video, but I've discovered that we are much more willing to do painful stunts if we are landing into water instead of on solid ground. Most recently, we went to some pier that was 10 or so feet off of the ground and attempted backflips on our bikes off of a ramp into the water. I don't think either of us would even imagine attempting such a thing if we were to land on the ground. But why? It has to do with molecular structure, a topic concentrated in Chemistry but still very important in Physics, as molecular structure impacts things like air drag and electrical forces. So, solids have a stiffer molecular structure than liquids because they move less, and likewise liquids are stiffer than gasses because they move less. Due to the cusion-like complection of water, it is safer to land in than landing on dirt. Professional stuntmen in movies often land in air-water mixtures instead of actual water because the air-water mixture is much less stiff, breaking the fall of the stuntman more than water would. This all relates back to impulse, as the less stiff structures provide a longer time of impact, reducing the force felt on the person.
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