A car is equipped with a bumper that is designed to absorb collisions. The bumper is mounted to the car using pieces of flexible tubing. The car is traveling at 1.5 m/s when it collides with a rigid black wall. If the wall exerts an average force of 44.1 kN on the car as the bumper is deformed a distance of 38.3 mm, how much work is being done on the car by the wall?
The work is the force time the distance over which the force is exerted
= 44.1kN * 38.3 mm
=44,100 N * 0.0383 m
To determine the work done on the car by the wall, we need to use the formula:
Work = Force * Distance
First, let's convert the given force from kilonewtons (kN) to newtons (N):
44.1 kN = 44.1 × 1000 N = 44,100 N
Now we have the force exerted by the wall on the car, which is 44,100 N, and the distance over which this force is applied, which is 38.3 mm. However, we need to convert the distance from millimeters (mm) to meters (m):
38.3 mm = 38.3 / 1000 m = 0.0383 m
Now we have the force (44,100 N) and the distance (0.0383 m) in SI units. We can substitute these values into the formula mentioned earlier to calculate the work done:
Work = 44,100 N * 0.0383 m
Calculating this expression, we find:
Work ≈ 1692.3 Joules (J)
Therefore, the work done on the car by the wall is approximately 1692.3 Joules.