Answer:
Explanation:
What happens when two cars collide on the highway? Obviously we know what a car accident
looks like. While slowly riding past in our own vehicle, we have seen the dented doors, the
crumpled hood, and the shattered glass glittering on the asphalt. But what kind of physical
processes are responsible for the ways these unfortunate cars look?
The physics of a car accident is fairly simple. Two cars are driving towards one another at a
certain speed. For a legitimate accident to take place, rather than a simple fender bender, one
or both of the cars must be traveling at a certain speed. If neither of the cars is traveling above
a few miles an hour when they come in contact, an accident will not result.
For example, if two cars are moving at 30 miles per hour when they collide, this will result in
an accident. In such a case, each car is exerting 30 miles per hour worth of force on the other.
The combined effect of such a crash would be equivalent to a car slamming into a brick wall at
60 miles per hour. In both cases, energy is transferred from one object to the other —
between the two cars, or between the car and the wall.
Clearly, the faster a car is traveling, the more energy it will transfer to the object — be it a car,
a brick wall, or a guardrail. The exchange of energy between two cars that crash into each
