A fast-moving massive car has a head-on collision with a slow-moving light car. Upon which is the impulse greater?
A) The massive car.
B) The light car.
C) Impulse is the same on both.
D) More information is needed to correctly answer this.
To determine which car experiences a greater impulse during a head-on collision, we need to consider the concept of impulse and the factors that contribute to its magnitude.
Impulse is defined as the change in momentum of an object and is calculated as the product of the force acting on the object and the time interval over which the force is applied. Mathematically, impulse (J) can be expressed as:
J = F * Δt
where F is the force applied and Δt is the time interval over which the force is applied.
In a collision, the important factors to consider are the masses and velocities of the objects involved. Impulse is directly proportional to the change in momentum, which is the product of the mass and velocity. Since both cars experience the same collision at the same time, we can assume the same time interval (Δt).
Given that the fast-moving car has a greater mass than the slow-moving car, we can infer that it also has greater momentum before the collision. Therefore, in order for the slow-moving car to exert an equal and opposite force on the fast-moving car, its force would need to be greater than the force exerted by the fast-moving car. This means that the force acting on the slow-moving car is greater, resulting in a greater impulse.
Hence, the answer is:
B) The light car