Consider 2 less than desirable options. In the first you are driving 50 mph and

Question

Consider 2 less than desirable options. In the first you are driving 50 mph and crash head on into an identical car also going 50 mph. In the second option you are driving 50 mph and crash head on into a stationary brick wall. in nether case does your car bounce off the thing it hits, and the collision time is the same in both cases. Which of these situations would result in the greatest impact force?

Hitting the car, the force will be the same in both cases,

Hiting the brick wall,

We can not answer this question without more information,

none of these is true

Explanation / Answer

impulse = Favg *t = change in linear momentum ----------------1 ( Favg = average force)

since car doesnot bounce off in both the cases .so

change in momentum = p2 - p1

= 0 - m*V ( p2 = final momentum = 0, p1 = initial momentum ) = - m*V ( V = velocity = 50mph)

so from eq.1 , Favg*t = - m*V --------------------in both cases

so force will be same in both the cases

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