question_answer 31)

A large truck and a car, both moving with a velocity of magnitude v, have a head-on collision and both of them come to a halt after that. If the collision lasts for 1s: (a) Which vehicle experiences the greater force of impact? (b) Which vehicle experiences the greater change in momentum? (c) Which vehicle experiences the greater acceleration? (d) Why is the car likely to suffer more damage than the truck?

Answer:

Let mass of truck = M Velocity of car time for which collision lasts, (a) On collision, both the vehicles experience the same force, as action and reaction are equal. (b) Change in momentum of truck is equal and opposite to change in momentum of car, i.e., both the vehicles experience the same change in momentum. (c) As acceleration = force/mass, and force on each vehicle is same, acceleration As mass of car   is smaller, therefore, acceleration of car is greater than the acceleration of the truck. (d) The car is likely to suffer more damage than the truck, as it is lighter. The acceleration, i.e., change in velocity of car is more than that of the truck.