A car and a large truck traveling at the same speed collide head-on and stick together.
Which vehicle experiences the larger change in the magnitude of its momentum? (Ignore the friction)
1. the truck
2. The change in the magnitude of momen-
tum is the same for both.
3. the car
4. impossible to determine
this is dumb
To determine which vehicle experiences a larger change in the magnitude of its momentum, we need to understand the concept of momentum and how it's affected in a collision.
Momentum is the product of an object's mass and its velocity. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. The law of conservation of momentum states that in the absence of external forces, the total momentum of a system remains constant before and after a collision.
In a head-on collision between a car and a large truck, both vehicles experience a change in their momentum. The magnitude of this change can be determined by comparing the initial and final momentum of each vehicle.
Let's assume the car and the truck have different masses but are traveling at the same speed before the collision. Since momentum is directly proportional to mass and velocity, the truck (with higher mass) would initially have a larger momentum than the car.
When the collision occurs and the car and truck stick together, they form a single system. In this case, the final momentum of the combined system is equal to the initial momentum of the car plus the initial momentum of the truck.
Since the car has a lower mass, its initial momentum is smaller compared to the truck. However, as they stick together, the final momentum will be closer to the initial momentum of the truck since the truck has a higher mass and higher momentum.
Therefore, the change in the magnitude of momentum for the truck would be larger compared to the car, resulting in option 1: the truck experiencing a larger change in the magnitude of its momentum.