Gymnasts often practice on foam floors, which increase the collision time when a gymnast falls. What effect does this have on collisions?

The gymnast’s momentum must change from its initial value to zero, so the change in momentum is the same whether the floor is hard or padded. Impulse equals force multiplied by collision time: for the same change in momentum, a longer collision time means a smaller average force. Therefore, the force exerted by the floor decreases; the change in momentum is not decreased.

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