A car has a head-on collision with another car that was approaching with the same magnitude of momentum. A third identical car driving with the same speed as the first car runs into an
Enormously massive wall. Which of the four objects will experience the greatest impulse?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Impulse is defined as the change in momentum of an object. In both scenarios described (the head-on collision and the car hitting the wall), each object experiences a change in momentum that is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to its initial momentum, assuming all cars and the collision with the wall bring the objects to a stop. Since all cars are identical and moving at the same speed, and the wall is fixed and can be considered to have an infinitely large mass (thus not moving), the magnitude of the impulse each receives must be the same, as impulse depends on the change in velocity and mass, both of which are identical for the cars and effectively result in the same change in momentum for the wall due to the conservation of momentum principle.

A Car Has a Head-On Collision with Another Car That