Impact When one body strikes anothe

Impact When one body strikes another, the two bodies absorb much or all of the stored energy. Much of the energy is absorbed by the deformation of the two bodies. The energy in deformation may not be distributed equally between the two bodies. The energy not absorbed by deformation is transferred into motion of the bodies. Very often a falling object strikes the earth, a floor, or other structure that does not deform or deforms very little.
The injuries that result from a fall of a person onto a surface are, in part, a function of the rate of deceleration. From an estimate of the stopping distance (the distance the center of mass moves after initial impact), one can determine the rate of deceleration, a: