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Elastic Energy Transfers



I have achieved the supposed impossible. I managed to rear end a bus.
Not your ordinary bus but a bright yellow and black one, on dry asphalt
and in daylight. How is still a mystery to me but here is my question.
If I was applying breaks from 15 mph in a small Nissan pickup and
crumpled my right upper quarter panel a distance of 10 cm, what other
criteria besides masses of each vehicle would I need to calculate the
acceleration, final velocity and force transferred from my truck to the

bus? I am taking the best case elastic collision where my velocity goes
to zero. I came up with some rough numbers but would like your advise
(other than not to hit large yellow and black vehicles) I plan to use

this in my class during my momentum chapters. (may as well get something

useful out of the experience)



thanks,
John Carr
EGHS Physics