Question

The passenger feels a jerk forward when a bus moving at a high speed suddenly stops. This happens due to

• A. inertia of passenger
• B. inertia of bus
• C. gravitational pull of the Earth
• D. none

Answer 1

The correct option is A

inertia of passenger

The explanation for the correct option:

(a) Inertia of passenger

1. If a body is in a state of motion, then it will continue to move at the same speed in the same direction unless an external force is applied to change its state. This is the inertia of motion.
2. The bus is moving along with the passenger. So, the passenger has the same speed as that of the bus. When suddenly a bus stops, the passenger's feet stop along with the bus due to the frictional force, but due to the inertia of motion of the passenger, the upper body is still in motion. So, the passenger feels a jerk forward.

The explanation for the incorrect options:

Since the passenger feels a jerk forward due to the inertia of the passenger, thus the options (b), (c), and (d) are incorrect.

Therefore, option (a) is correct.