Question

Consider two less-than-desirable options. In the first you are driving 30 mph and crash head-on into an identical car also going 30 mph. In the second option you are driving 30 mph and crash head-on into a stationary brick wall. In neither case does your car bounce off the thing it hits, and the collision time is the same in both cases. Which of these two situations would result in the greatest impact force?
Choose one answer.
A. We cannot answer this question without more information.
B. The force would be the same in both cases.
C. hitting the brick wall.
D. hitting the other car.

Answer 1

Answer:

B. The force would be the same in both cases.

Explanation:

As we know that the force is defined as the rate of change in momentum of the system

So here we will have

$F = \frac{\Delta P}{\Delta t}$

so in both the cases the change in the momentum of the car will be same

$\Delta P = m(\Delta v)$

also the time interval is given same in both the cases

so here we can say

$F = \frac{m\Delta v}{\Delta t}$

so force will be same on the car in both the cases