why is it easier to stop a slow moving object than a fast moving object?

Answer 1

due to momentum
Mass x Velocity = Momentum (higher value greater momentum generated)

and inertia which is a moving object's resistivity to change to its velocity

you can read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/inertia

Answer 2

If you define easier as "less force during the same time duration", then the explanations is the following. If you have an objects with mass m then the force F = m*a where a acceleration. On the other hand speed at time t is v = integral(a*t)(from 0 to t). That means to stop an object that moves with the speed v you need to apply a counter-acceleration 'a' during the time t. Therefore to stop a faster object within the same time you need bigger counter-acceleration. Since the counter-acceleration is proportional to the counter-force (for objects of the same mass) you need to apply bigger force to stop faster object.

Answer 3

This is a relative question. It would be easier to stop a fast moving balloon than a slow moving train. It really has to do with momentum which is the relationship of mass and velocity. As speed increases the mass of an object can decrease and still have the same momentum, or the ability to resist being stopped. Likewise as mass increases velocity can decrease and still maintain the same momentum. So it would be easier to stop a speeding bullet (high velocity, low mass) than to stop a train (low velocity, high mass)

Answer 4

When an object is moving at a constant speed, there is no net force acting on the object. In order to stop the object, an external force must be introduced. Due to Newton's second law of motion, expressed in the formula F=ma, this external force must be great enough to induce a large negative acceleration on the object, causing it to stop. When the object is moving at higher velocity, greater force will be needed to cause the object to stop in the same amount of time.

Consider this example:
A box of 1kg is moving at 10m/s. Ignoring friction, the force required to stop it in 1 second is 1(10) = 10N.
Consider the same box moving at 20m/s. The force needed would now be 1(20) = 20N.
As such, a greater force would need to be applied to stop a fast moving object as compared to a slow moving one.

Answer 5

You are basically correct, with some reservations. Recent examples include the early Mercury sub-orbital flights, which encountered much lower temperatures than later orbital flights during re-entry, and the Shuttle Orbiter fuel tank, which drops off prior to orbit insertion and falls into the ocean without burning up. An object falling from space that is not moving horizontally very rapidly relative to the surrounding atmosphere will continue to accelerate at roughly 9.8 m/sec^2 until it reaches terminal velocity. The terminal velocity is the speed at which the drag of the air offsets the pull of gravity. So the farther out in space that you begin your fall, the faster you will be moving when you encounter air resistance, and the more drag and resulting heat friction will occur. If you are falling from the edge of space, you would still encounter some heating, but not nearly the same kind of heat load that the Shuttle encounters when it uses air friction to slow down from its 17,000 mph orbital velocity to Mach 5 or so. The Orbiter could conceivably slow down much more prior to re-entry and reduce the risk of the heat load, but that would take a lot more fuel, which would add a lot more weight, etc. The heat load that you encounter depends on how fast you are moving relative to the air. That motion can be horizontal resulting from orbital velocity, or it can be vertical resulting from simply falling. The farther you fall before hitting the blanket of air, the faster you will be moving when you do hit it, and the higher your resulting heat load will be.

Answer 6

Generally it is easier to stop a slow moving object because slow moving objects have less momentum. Momentum (p) is defined as mass (x) velocity (p=mv) so this that is why generally slow moving objects are generally easier to stop.

Answer 7

because momentum is proportional to mass and velocity, so the faster something is going the more momentum it has.

to change the velocity of something you need to apply a force, and force is proportional to the change in momentum, so to slow something with more momentum, ie faster, you need to apply more force ... and do more work ... this it is harder to slow a body that is going faster ... all other factors being the same.

Answer 8

because u know that mdv/dt=force u can see for fast moving body to stop it change in velocity would be more which is directly proportional to the force applied to stop it