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 back from the thing it hits, and the collision time is the same in both cases. Which of these two situations would result in the greater impact force on your car?
A. The force would be the same in both cases.
B. Hitting the brick wall.
C. Hitting the other car.

Answer 1

The greater force is hitting the other car, since the force of the head on collision is added to your forward force.