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Football coaches advise players to tackle with their feet on the ground rather than leaping because that keeps:
ATheir speed much higher
BTheir momentum at zero
CThe collision time shorter
DContact with a larger system
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Contact with a larger system
1. Momentum conservation applies to whatever system is actually interacting.
2. A player in the air is an isolated system of one body.
3. A player with feet on the ground is coupled through friction to the Earth itself.
4. Football coaches advise players to block, hit, and tackle with their feet on the ground rather than by leaping through the air.
5. The far greater effective mass is what makes the tackle stick.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 8 'Linear Momentum and Collisions', sections 8.1-8.7_
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