b) If the car is moving much faster than the heavier truck when they collide, what best describes the size (or magnitude) of the forces between the car and the truck?
1. Not enough information is given to pick one of these answers.
2. Neither exerts a force on the other; the car gets smashed simply because it is in the way of the truck.
3. The truck exerts the same amount of force on the car as the car exerts on the truck.
4. The car exerts a greater amount of force on the truck than the truck exerts on the car.
5. None of these answers describes the situ- ation correctly.
6. The truck exerts a greater amount of force on the car than the car exerts on the truck.
6. The truck exerts a greater amount of force on the car than the car exerts on the truck.
To determine which answer best describes the size (magnitude) of the forces between the car and the truck when they collide, let's analyze the situation.
When the car and the truck collide, the forces acting on them are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, according to Newton's Third Law of Motion. This law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, the forces between the car and the truck are the same.
Since the question states that the car is moving much faster than the heavier truck when they collide, we can conclude that the car experiences a larger change in velocity compared to the truck. This change in velocity results in a larger impulse (change in momentum) for the car.
From Newton's Second Law of Motion, we know that force is equal to the rate of change of momentum. Therefore, the larger change in momentum experienced by the car implies that a larger force is exerted on the car compared to the force exerted on the truck.
Therefore, of the given options, the correct answer is 4. The car exerts a greater amount of force on the truck than the truck exerts on the car.