Why are  you hurt more when you punch a wall then when you punch a sponge?

Asked Shivangi

Answer:

This is explained on the basis of impulse momentum principle.

Impulse of a force is the product of Force and time and is equal to the change in momentum produced.

The overall effect of a force is the change in momentum produced.

When we are punching, the effect on hitting is the stopping of the fist moving initially with a particular speed.

So, if we hit on a wall, the change in momentum takes place in a small interval of time and therefore the average force involved is very large and therefore it hurts.

When we hit on a sponge, the time taken will be more and the average force will be less and therefore it hurts less.