A Physics Question

[2long]

Come on all you clever people.

I recently had a pinched nerve in my back and when using public transport (pick ups and buses) I noticed much more pain if I did NOT sit between the axles of the vehicle. It's also obvious that car designers make sure the passengers sit between axles. The body is rigid, so why should it make any difference?

WHY WHY WHY?

[BigSnake]

All that SPINNING around would be my guess. I would see a MD as soon as posible if I were you.

[Farma]

Think of a car/bus/truck as a seesaw. The pivot point is between the front and rear axles. The further you get from the pivot point, the more you will notice undulations in the road.

As a side note, maybe someone can find the statistics for people paralyzed per year when sitting in the back of buses. I heard the UK statistics a couple of years ago and it surprised me.

[goldfish]

When your back is fully recovered sit at the back on a bumpy road and watch how much you move vertically in comparision to people sitting in the middle

[philipm]

because the suspension mount is their, not to menation 50kg worth of wheel and tier if not more, no springs, probably obslet shocks, run down bushings etc.....

as long as you dont sit right on the axels and drive shaft, then u should have a more comfortable ride....

[Cuban]

...pick ups and buses...

From a Human Physics point of view, I would consider that the spine is much happier with forward/backward motion encountered during a ride on a coach type bus where the spine is cushioned by the foam in the back of the seat, seats facing the direction of travel. (Although I understand that from a safety point of view - sitting facing the rear of the vehicle is the best option.)

The effective sideways motion the spine encounters (upper body mass rocking through a pivot of the lower lumber region) when sitting on a Baht Bus bench would create forces not naturally occuring to humans.

So the best option to probably to face backwards while driving your car !