Airplane flight recorders must be able to survive catastrophic crashes. Therefore, they are typically encased?

Question

Airplane flight recorders must be able to survive catastrophic crashes. Therefore, they are typically encased in crash-resistant steel or titanium boxes that are subjected to rigorous testing. One of the tests is an impact shock test, in which the box must survive being thrown at high speeds against a barrier. A 41 kg box is thrown at a speed of 180 m/s and is brought to a halt in a collision that lasts for a time of 5.2 ms. What is the magnitude of the average net force that acts on the box during the colision?

Answer 1

The acceleration is equal to the change in velocity divided by the change in time, or (180 m/s) / (5.2 x 10^-3 s) = 34615 m/s^2. Since F = ma and you were given mass and just calculated the acceleration, you can easily find F.

Answer 2

Hmm....

By definition a force is change of momentum with respect to time.
F=m(Vf-Vi)/(tf-ti)=
F=m(delta V)/(delta t)
F=41(0-180)/(5.2e-3)=
F=14192307 Newtons=
or
F=14.2MN