During a high jump event, a landing mat or sand bed is placed for the athlete to fall upon as shown in the given figure. Explain the reason behind it.

A landing mat or sand bed is placed for the athlete to fall upon in order to reduce the force of impact and prevent injuries.

When the athlete lands, their momentum becomes zero. According to Newton's second law of motion, the force acting on the body depends on the rate of change of momentum. The soft landing mat or sand bed increases the time taken by the athlete to come to rest. As the stopping time increases, the force acting on the body decreases.

Therefore, the landing mat or sand bed provides a safer landing by reducing the impact force on the athlete's body.