Vehicle 1
Mass = 1,500 kg
Velocity = 15 m/s
Calculate the amount of force acting on Vehicle 1 if it crashes into a bus and it takes 0.01 seconds for Vehicle 1 to come to a stop upon
collision.
a. Step 1: Calculate the acceleration of the vehicle as its velocity changes from 15 to 0 m/s in 0.01 seconds.
b. Step 2: Apply Newton’s Second Law of Motion to determine the force exerted by the vehicle on the bus during the crash.
c. Step 3: Apply Newton’s Third Law of Motion to determine the force exerted by the wall on the vehicle.
d. Step 4: Calculate the acceleration of the bus given its mass is 2,000 kg.
e. Step 5: After the collision, will the velocity be increasing, decreasing, or constant? Why?
a. First, calculate the acceleration using the formula:
Acceleration = (Final Velocity - Initial Velocity) / Time
Acceleration = (0 m/s - 15 m/s) / 0.01 s
Acceleration = -1500 m/s^2
b. Use Newton's Second Law of Motion, F = ma, to determine the force exerted by the vehicle on the bus during the crash:
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Force = 1500 kg x -1500 m/s^2
Force = -2250000 N
c. According to Newton's Third Law of Motion, the force exerted by the bus on the vehicle will be equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the force exerted by the vehicle on the bus.
d. Calculate the acceleration of the bus using the same formula:
Acceleration = (Final Velocity - Initial Velocity) / Time
Acceleration = (0 m/s - 0 m/s) / 0.01 s
Acceleration = 0 m/s^2
e. After the collision, the velocity of both vehicles will be constant as they have come to a stop.