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I got a simple physics question

T

Tret

Golden Member
Ok, both people aren't wearing seatbelts.
Person a is driving one car at 30mph. person b is driving a car that weighs twice as much and going 60mph. they hit head on. Let's say theres no seatbelts and no windshield to interfere with the impact of the person. They hit head on with no time to break or anything. Would the person in car a fly foward or just land on where the impact was made. Also, can someone explain their question on why or why not.

Thanks.

Nothing interferes with the person like the other car or anything. Since, i don't want the person to be interfered with anything.
 
Originally posted by: KLin
Do your own homework.

/thread
Click to expand...

It's not my homework my friends are telling me that person a is going to fly foward but, that wouldn't be due to the smaller car moving back?
 
well, if there's truly NOTHING to interfere with either driver, Driver A will fly through the air at +30MPH, and driver B will fly through the air at -60MPH, until they hit the pavement and scrub off some of that velocity.

Oh, and it's spelled BRAKE.
 
If nothing at all interfered, both people would continue to travel at the same speed they were going, while both cars get smashed up.
 
Originally posted by: jagec
well, if there's truly NOTHING to interfere with either driver, Driver A will fly through the air at +30MPH, and driver B will fly through the air at -60MPH, until they hit the pavement and scrub off some of that velocity.

Oh, and it's spelled BRAKE.
Click to expand...

whoops wrong spelling error.
So regardless of mass and acceleration of the vehicles it wouldn't interfere with the people so , the stronger force wouldn't interfere with it?
 
Originally posted by: Tret


whoops wrong spelling error.
So regardless of mass and acceleration of the vehicles it wouldn't interfere with the people so , the stronger force wouldn't interfere with it?
Click to expand...

No.

If nothing interfered and the people could just fly out of their seat without slowing down, they'd continue to travel at the same velocity they were going.
 
Originally posted by: Tret
Originally posted by: jagec
well, if there's truly NOTHING to interfere with either driver, Driver A will fly through the air at +30MPH, and driver B will fly through the air at -60MPH, until they hit the pavement and scrub off some of that velocity.

Oh, and it's spelled BRAKE.
Click to expand...

whoops wrong spelling error.
So regardless of mass and acceleration of the vehicles it wouldn't interfere with the people so , the stronger force wouldn't interfere with it?
Click to expand...


Nope. If the people aren't attached to the cars then they will continue to move in the same spee and direction that they were previously moving in (that is until gravity/friction alters their velocity).
 
lets assume A is going in the + direction, and B is going in the - direction.
When they collide, the two cars will end up going in the - direction at 30 mph

we get this from the equation for momentum
m1v1 + m2v2 = (m1+m2)v3
30m - 60(2m) = 3mV
V = -30

At the moment of impact, the guy in car A will fly out his window at 30 mph in the + directoin relative to the ground, and the guy in car B will fly in the - direction, at 60 mph relative to the ground and 30 mph relative to his car.
 
Originally posted by: TheChort
becuase i'm so bored, i drew you a picture
Text
Click to expand...

...except you're wrong, if car B is travelling at 60MPH at the moment of collision, and the driver isn't coupled to the car by belt or windshield, he or she will be flung out at 60MPH and no less😉
 
Originally posted by: jagec
Originally posted by: TheChort
becuase i'm so bored, i drew you a picture
Text
Click to expand...

...except you're wrong, if car B is travelling at 60MPH at the moment of collision, and the driver isn't coupled to the car by belt or windshield, he or she will be flung out at 60MPH and no less😉
Click to expand...

CRAP!! you're right 🙁
its 30 mph relative to the car
 
What if one of them is driving a british car? Then when they flew out of the cars, they'd smash into each other at 90 mph!
 
Originally posted by: TheChort
Originally posted by: jagec
Originally posted by: TheChort
becuase i'm so bored, i drew you a picture
Text
Click to expand...

...except you're wrong, if car B is travelling at 60MPH at the moment of collision, and the driver isn't coupled to the car by belt or windshield, he or she will be flung out at 60MPH and no less😉
Click to expand...

CRAP!! you're right 🙁
its 30 mph relative to the car
Click to expand...

LOL at picture of people flying in the air. :thumbsup:
 
I believe you have to have to make some sort of assumption about the type of collision. i.e. is it 100percent inelastic? (do the cars stick together?) Have fun with the problem; solve it for a different solution than the teacher expects.
 
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