Elastic collisions maximum force comparison · CAP 2019 #4
Physics · mechanics
Problem
Two identical cars equipped with rubber bumpers in front and back collide. In the first collision, one of them moves with velocity 4 km/h and hits the other one, which moves in the same direction at 2 km/h. In the second collision they move with the same speeds but with directions opposite to each other. Assume the collisions are elastic and ignore the forces coming from the engine. Assuming that the collisions take the same time, the maximum force on the rubber bumper is:
a) The same in both collisions
b) 2 times bigger in the second one
c) 3 times bigger in the second one
d) 4 times bigger in the second one
e) 9 times bigger in the second one