A car has a head-on collision with another car of the same momentum. An identical car driving with the same speed as the first car runs into an enormously massive wall. The greatest impulse will occur on the car that is in the collision with the

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Impulse is defined as the change in momentum of an object. In both scenarios described, the cars experience a change in momentum from their initial value to zero, assuming both come to a stop. Since both cars initially have the same momentum and come to a stop, the change in momentum (and thus the impulse) is the same in both cases, regardless of whether the collision is with another car of the same momentum or with a massive wall.

A Car Has a Head-On Collision with Another Car of the Same