Here's a very nice advertisement from Shark helmets, proving how good shock absorption and energy dissipation are in case of an impact.
Some people live under the wrong impression that motorcycle helmets are the ones who must remain in one piece when a crash occurs, and these guys are the ones who becry the poor quality of helmets or the incredible speed of the rider when they see a cracked lid.
Well, things re exactly the opposite: helmets are of course, created to shield the head form the direct impact, but an equally important feature is the energy absorption and dissipation: the shock wave is literally distributed through the multiple layers and only a fraction of the energy reaches the head... saving the rider's hide.
While clearly exaggerated, the Newton's Cradle experiment shows how energy is transmitted further by “usual” helmets and absorbed by the Shark ones. We would not recommend replicating this scenario in real life, though. Choose a good helmet and ride, that should be enough.
Well, things re exactly the opposite: helmets are of course, created to shield the head form the direct impact, but an equally important feature is the energy absorption and dissipation: the shock wave is literally distributed through the multiple layers and only a fraction of the energy reaches the head... saving the rider's hide.
While clearly exaggerated, the Newton's Cradle experiment shows how energy is transmitted further by “usual” helmets and absorbed by the Shark ones. We would not recommend replicating this scenario in real life, though. Choose a good helmet and ride, that should be enough.