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Re: [Phys-l] momentum

At 07:38 AM 1/5/2007, A Lapinski, you wrote:

I have a collision question (seen in Mazur, p. 131 # 18). A car is moving
and can crash head-on into a "massive" wall or an identical car traveling
with the same speed in the opposite direction. If there is no rebounding
in either case, what should you choose?

Since the final momentum is zero, it should not matter (same Dp). The
"damage" will be the same in either case. And since Ft = Dp, the quantity
Ft must be constant for both collisions. I am also wondering if both the
impact force AND collision time are the same in each case.

In the asymmetrical case, some impulse is passed to the Wall/Earth
system. In the symmetrical crash, The Earth does not carry the impulse.

This is however, a nitpick of the picayune kind.



Brian Whatcott Altus OK Eureka!