Bocchiaro 1

Michael Bocchiaro
Mrs. Cohen
Physics Period 5
16 March 2016

Redesign Questions
1. Describe how your helmet protected the egg from cracking. What material
was most important in your design? What material that you used was least
effective?
My helmet protected the egg from cracking by having three breakaway layers. The layers
were made with sponge and cardboard, and I believe these were my most important materials.
These three layers protected the egg by decreasing the force, by increasing the time of impact. I
believe the bubble wrap was the least effective material in the design. The bubble wrap was
around the cup that the egg was in. I feel that the bubble wrap was irrelevant because it was such
a small amount and none of the bubbles popped during the test.
2. Knowing what you know now, how would you improve upon your designs to
make them work better on the next try? Draw a picture if it helps.
A flaw I saw with the design was that the egg came out when the weight hit the helmet.
An improvement would be to make a compartment where the egg would stay securely. Another
improvement would be to have a round shell on the outside to make the design look more like a
helmet.
3. What materials would you recommend that Riddell uses in manufacturing
cost effective helmets?
I would recommend Riddell to use softer materials than the hard shell. When the plastic
shell of one helmet hits the plastic shell of the other, then the time of impact is shorter, but the
force on each player is great. Therefore, I think Riddell should use different types of foam
padding, instead of hard plastic.
4. The data table shown provides the numbers of reported concussions over the
last 5 years. Create a mathematical model to predict the number of concussions has
decreased in the past or will decrease in the future.
Year

# of Reported Concussions

2008

115

2009

127

2010

218

2011

190

2012

160

Bocchiaro 2
2013

130

2014

100

2015

70

A reason why the number of reported concussions has decreased was because of the
increase in attention toward CTE, and that there is a link between football and brain injuries. In
addition to that, I believe that the concussion protocol has improved, which prevents concussed
players to return back on the field.
5. The rising concern among athletic trainers and health advocates (and
parents) regarding concussions and multiple concussions among high school football
players has prompted numerous studies of the effectiveness of protective headgear
and the forces and acceleration experienced by players. One study suggested that
there is a 50% chance of concussions for impacts rated at 75 g's of acceleration (i.e.,
75 multiplied by 9.8m/s/s). (The average head impact results in 22 to 24 gs of
acceleration.) If a players head mass (with helmet) is 6.0 kg and considered to be a
free body, then what net force would be required to produce an acceleration of 75 gs
(~740 m/s/s)? Research g-forces and create a data table of sample g-forces.
(Extension: Create a mathematical model of g-force versus time of tolerance.)
Fnet=M(a)
Fnet=6 kg(740 m/s/s)
Fnet=4,440 N
The net force required to produce an acceleration of 75 gs is 4,440 Newtons

Sample g-forces
Walking

1.0 g

Sneezing

2.9 gs

Shuttle Launch

3.0 gs

Coughing

3.5 gs

Slap on the Back

4.1 gs

Roller Coaster

5.0 gs

Hopping off a Step

8.1 gs

Bocchiaro 3
F-16 Fighter Jet Roll

9.0 gs

Concussion

100 gs

Extreme Football Impact

150 gs