When I read the circular about the Project-Based Learning on “Collision”, at first, I thought it was an IDP project than a science or maths project.
However, when I tried to understand the topic “Collision” and “Airbags”, soon I realized that it was a project both on science and maths.
But we were not taught about “Collision” and “Airbag” by our teachers yet. I was anxious and nervous about completing the project on my own.
My father, who realized my tension, suggested that we approach our friend. This friend of ours was always available and always had the answers. So, I began to ask my friend and understand more. The friend was ‘Google’.
My questions got me the following answers:
Collision often creates energy. I now remembered, last year, we learnt that ‘energy is the ability to do work’
Energy is produced in various ways and it depends on the type of energy – humans get energy from the food they eat; plants get energy from the light through photosynthesis, and that electrical energy is caused by moving electric charges called electrons.
That led to the topic – collision. I learnt from my friend ‘Google’ that energy is also created when the electrons collide.
Collision happens when one moving object hits another stationary object or when one moving object hits another moving object.
In the road, rails, water or space when one vehicle hits another automobile, it’s called an accident or it is also referred to as a collision.
Collisions many times were fatal and resulted in the death of the passengers in the vehicles.
My friend, Google also told me that scientists wanted to prevent death due to collisions. Through research, they found that during collisions people die when they are thrown out of their seat and when they hit the steering wheel or the windshield.
They came upon the idea of ‘airbags’ that could inflate upon collision and thus prevent the passengers from hitting the steering wheel or the windshield. Then with the help of mathematicians, they estimated it takes 50 milliseconds for the passengers to hit the other objects.
After much calculation and research, together they have designed ‘airbags’ that inflate within 0.3 milliseconds of collision and thus save the lives of the passengers
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Thanks to this PBL, my teachers and the management of OISNGR, today I know how science and maths are used in our daily lives and save the lives of thousands of people across the world.
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