Question

A car having a total momentum of 4500 kg·m/s moving at 2 m/s smashes into a tree, stopping in 2.5 seconds. What is the average force acting on the car during the collision? (units of N)

Answer 1

To calculate the average force acting on the car during the collision, you can use the equation Average force = Change in momentum / Time interval. The average force is calculated to be 1800 N.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the average force acting on the car during the collision, we can use the equation:

{Average force = Change in momentum / Time interval}

First, let's calculate the change in momentum:

{Change in momentum = Final momentum - Initial momentum}

The final momentum of the car after the collision is 0, since it comes to a stop. Therefore, the change in momentum is equal to the initial momentum.

{Change in momentum = 4500 kg·m/s}

Next, we can substitute the given values into the formula:

{Average force = 4500 kg·m/s / 2.5 s}

Calculating the expression gives us:

{Average force = 1800 N}

Therefore, the average force acting on the car during the collision is 1800 N.