Question

Why does a child feel more pain when she falls down on a hard cement floor, than when she falls on the soft muddy ground in the garden?

Answer 1

The body of the child is brought to a sudden halt when she/he falls on a cement floor. The mud floor yields and the body travels some distance before it comes to rest , which takes some time. This means the force which brings the child to rest is less for the fall on a mud floor, as the change in momentum is brought about over a longer **.