A bus is travelling down the road at a speed of 60 mph when it runs into a fly.
ID: 1330191 • Letter: A
Question
A bus is travelling down the road at a speed of 60 mph when it runs into a fly. Which of the following correctly explains why the fly is squashed to death while the bus is practically unaffected?
A. The force of the fly on the bus is equal to the force of the bus on the fly, but the fly accelerates more because it has a smaller mass.
B. The force of the fly on the bus is equal to the force of the bus on the fly, and the acceleration of the fly is the same as the acceleration of the bus, but the fly is just not as strong as the bus.
C. The force of the bus on the fly is greater than the force of the fly on the bus, AND the fly accelerates more because it has smaller mass.
D. The force of the bus on the fly is greater than the force of the fly on the bus.
Explanation / Answer
A. The force of the fly on the bus is equal to the force of the bus on the fly, but the fly accelerates more because it has a smaller mass.
Force would be same in both cases by Newton's third law.
F = m*a
a = F/m
mass of fly < mass of bus
So,
acceleration of fly > acceleration of bus
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